Abrams went 3-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI, a run and a stolen base in Tuesday's loss to the Blue Jays.

EDGE Analysis

Abrams doubled his early-season hit total and swiped his second bag of the year. He now has three extra-base hits in his last two games and bumped his batting average up to .286 after Tuesday's strong performance.

Abrams went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 5-2 loss to Toronto.

EDGE Analysis

Abrams spoiled Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis' no-hit bid in the sixth inning, going deep for the first time this season Monday. The 24-year-old infielder is slashing just .176/.222/.353 with two RBI and one stolen base across 17 at-bats (four games) thus far, but Abrams should still be a strong source of power and speed in 2025 after recording 20 homers and 31 steals in 138 outings a year ago.

Abrams (quadricep) will start at shortstop and bat leadoff in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

As expected, Abrams has been cleared to return to action following his precautionary removal from Wednesday's game against the Astros when he experienced cramping in both of his quads after legging out a triple. He enters Thursday's contest having hit .300 with one home run and three RBI over 30 at-bats in the Grapefruit League.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said that Abrams was lifted from Wednesday's spring contest versus the Astros due to cramping in both quads but is scheduled to return to the lineup Thursday against the Rays, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Abrams' quads cramped up following a leadoff triple in the first inning Wednesday, but he's going to be fine. The young shortstop is 9-for-30 with a home run in 10 Grapefruit League games this spring.

Abrams was removed from Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros in the bottom of the first inning due to an apparent injury, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

After leading off the inning with a triple, Abrams appeared to crouch down in discomfort once he reached third base. He motioned to the team trainer to examine him, and after a brief checkup, Abrams was pulled from the contest. The Nationals should provide more details on Abrams' injury later Wednesday.

Abrams went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets.

EDGE Analysis

The shortstop took Paul Blackburn deep in the third inning, giving Abrams his first homer of the spring. He's batting just .217 (5-for-23) so far in Grapefruit League action, and while he has yet to strike out, Abrams also has yet to draw a walk -- something the Nats are looking for him to do more consistently in 2025 as the team prepares to make him the leadoff hitter. The 24-year-old's fantasy upside is undeniable, as he's racked up 38 homers and 78 steals in 289 games over the last two seasons, but his .245/.307/.422 slash line has plenty of room for improvement.

Abrams' slow start to spring training isn't a concern yet for the Nationals, Bobby Blanco of MASN Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

The shortstop's issues on and off the field late last season, which prompted a demotion to Triple-A Rochester, have put a spotlight on his performance early in camp. So far Abrams has struggled, going 3-for-19 (.158) through six Grapefruit League appearances with zero strikeouts or walks, but it's the latter the team wants him to focus on. "We know he's got some power. We want to make sure that it doesn't transpire into just him trying to hit home runs all the time," manager Dave Martinez said this week. "We need him to get on base for us. If he's going to lead off, he's got to be able to get on base, accept his walks. Right now, he's really trying to work on staying on the ball and work on his timing a little bit. But he's been really good." Abrams was slashing .283/.344/.513 at the end of June last year prior to his second-half struggles, and the Nats still believe he can provide that level of production on a consistent basis.

Abrams will be moved back into the leadoff spot this season, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports. "CJ's going to lead off," manager Dave Martinez said. "The [Nos.] 3-4-5 will be kind of different a little bit. The [No.] 2 might be different at times. But we do know CJ's going to lead off for us."

EDGE Analysis

Abrams was moved out of the leadoff spot late in the season last year in favor of prospect Dylan Crews when Crews was promoted, but the team will reverse that decision this year. Abrams struggled so much in the second half (.203/.260/.326 with an 11th percentile chase rate) that his ability to remain in that capacity as a leadoff hitter is in question.

Abrams reported to spring training Monday and disclosed that he added about 10 pounds of muscle during the offseason, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

A first-time All-Star in 2024, Abrams posted a career-best .314 on-base percentage to go with excellent counting numbers (20 home runs, 31 steals, 65 RBI and 79 runs), but his achievements were somewhat overshadowed by a late-season demotion to the minors, which came after he stayed out past curfew at a casino the night before a day game at Wrigley Field. Abrams addressed the incident publicly for the first time Wednesday, expressing remorse for his actions while noting that he had been in communication with members of the Washington coaching staff throughout the offseason. Now up to 200 pounds and with the embarrassing off-field incident behind him, Abrams believes that he's better prepared to withstand the rigors of a 162-game schedule and perform more consistently after he struggled to a .586 OPS in the second half of last season.

The Nationals optioned Abrams to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Since the All-Star break, Abrams has slashed just .203/.260/.326 with five homers and 17 RBI -- a stark contrast from the .832 OPS he logged during the first half of the year. However, manager Dave Martinez said Saturday that Abrams' demotion is not related to his performance. Instead, the decision to send him down comes after reports that he stayed out past curfew at a casino in Chicago prior to Friday's early-afternoon game against the Cubs, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com. With Rochester's season wrapping up, the 23-year-old will instead report to the Nationals' complex in Florida and finish the year there. Meanwhile, Nasim Nunez figures to take over as Washington's primary shortstop.