Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams was sent down to the minor leagues after reportedly violating curfew by spending the night at Bally’s Casino in Chicago last week.
The 23-year-old All-Star was at the Illinois casino from Thursday night until 8 a.m. Friday, according to USA Today.
This behavior breached team rules, as the Nationals had a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field at 1 p.m. on Friday. Running on little sleep, Abrams went 0-for-3 in the game, managing only a walk and a strikeout.
CHGO’s Cody Delmendo was the first to report Abrams’ demotion.
On Saturday, the Nationals assigned Abrams to their Triple-A affiliate, the Rochester Red Wings, for the remainder of the season.
Salary Impact
As a result of the demotion, Abrams will forfeit $30,000 of his $752,000 salary, according to ESPN.
The Nationals’ season is winding down with only a week left. Since Rochester’s season ends this weekend, Abrams will instead report to the Nationals’ minor league facility in West Palm Beach, Fla., as reported by USA Today.
Team Response
“We’re all aware of the situation, but beyond that, it’s an internal issue that we’ll handle within the team,” Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo told The Athletic.
Nationals Manager Davey Martinez also commented, clarifying that Abrams’ demotion wasn’t performance-based. “I just want to emphasize that this wasn’t about performance. CJ is a big part of our Nats family and will continue to be. But this was the right decision,” Martinez said.
In his last 49 games, Abrams was batting .203 with five home runs and 17 RBIs, as noted by Yahoo Sports. He had seven errors since August, struck out 48 times, and walked 10 times.
It’s unclear if Abrams will file a grievance regarding the demotion, MSN reported.
Abrams was acquired by the Nationals in 2022 as part of the trade with the San Diego Padres for Juan Soto, NBC noted.
Once considered one of baseball’s top prospects, Abrams was named an All-Star for the first time in 2024 after hitting .268/.343/.489 with 15 home runs and 48 RBIs in his first 89 games, according to Sports Illustrated.
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