CJ Abrams 'Was Not Thrilled' To Be Moved Out of Shortstop by Nationals

When the Washington Nationals revealed that CJ Abrams was going to get the majority of his defensive work at second base for the remainder of the season, that was a bit shocking.

Not only has shortstop been the primary position of Abrams during his major league career, but it's the only position he has played since arriving in the nation's capital. Some would point to that being a mistake since Abrams has been one of the worst defensive players in the majors since his debut, let alone the worst defensive shortstop. But nonetheless, this move was significant for many reasons.

And according to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic (subscription required), it's one that Abrams wasn't delighted to make.

CJ Abrams Wasn't Too Happy About the Decision to Move Him Out of Shortstop

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"I think, first, CJ was not thrilled about the decision to move him off shortstop at this time," Abrams' agent, Mike Sanders of Roc Nation Sports, told The Athletic. "But his priority is to win games for the Nationals and to be a team-first player, so that is what he's going to do."

While some in the media might be confused about the timing of this decision since there is only a month-and-a-half remaining in the regular season, the vast majority of people who have watched Abrams in the field on a game-by-game basis likely believe this move is too little, too late. While it's not clear if him playing at second base starting with Game 1 of the 2026 campaign would have improved Washington's current record, not having 19 errors, minus-five defensive runs saved and minus-17 outs above average at the most important infield position would have certainly helped.

Still, president of baseball operations Paul Toboni expressed this was not an easy decision to make from their side, even if the statistics are pretty black and white about what was best for the team from a defensive perspective.

"This isn't a place where we just think through what is best for the team, then we do it without considering other factors," Toboni said. "No, we think about CJ and how this impacts him personally because he's a huge part of this org."

Toboni also shared that the Nationals made this move when they did to give Abrams real game reps at second base to see how he feels at that position. Then, the two sides can come together and figure out the best course of action for 2027 and beyond.

CJ Abrams Wants To Be Long-Term Shortstop

Abrams stated that he still views himself as a long-term shortstop, and that's something that was reiterated by Sanders. In fact, Sanders believes his client "has earned" the right to get an offseason of work at shortstop under this new regime to see if he can fully make the defensive strides that have eluded him throughout his career.

"He's always viewed himself as a shortstop short-term and long-term, and would love to have the offseason under this front office to be able to work on that," Sanders stated. "I believe CJ can be a very good shortstop, and without having an offseason to specifically train at the position using the information and feedback this staff has given him, I don't think we have a full evaluation yet of how good he can truly be there."

That's certainly one way to look at things after he's played 5,300 big league innings at shortstop that has resulted in minus-11 defensive runs saved, minus-50 in fielding run value and minus-63 in outs above average with 93 errors -- 55 throwing and 37 fielding -- to boot.

What's the push for Abrams to remain at shortstop when he clearly isn't suited to play that spot defensively? Is it really the familiarity Abrams has with that role and he just wants to stay in his comfort zone, or is this being driven by the clear financial implications of playing a different position?

It's probably a little bit of both, especially where the agent is concerned. However, the Nationals are sympathetic to the fact that this is going to be a big shift for Abrams, and that's why they approached the 25-year-old in the way they did before ultimately deciding to move him to the keystone.

For what it's worth, Toboni and manager Blake Butera have praised Abrams for how he's handled this tough situation. They stated that Abrams has had a team-first mentality during the transition, and that he continues to focus on what is best for the Nationals.

How everything ultimately plays out will be something to keep an eye on down the stretch of this season. And it's something that could have an impact on what takes place this winter, too.

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