The Washington Nationals demoted All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams to the minor leagues after he stayed out all night at a Chicago-area casino, leaving only hours before a Friday day game against the Chicago Cubs, sources told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
Abrams, 23, led off for the Nationals and went 0-for-3 with a walk and strikeout in Friday’s game, which started at 1 p.m. CT.
He will be sent to West Palm Beach, Florida, home of the Nationals’ minor league complex.
Nationals manager Dave Martinez confirmed the demotion but termed it an internal matter. Martinez said he spoke with Abrams for a significant time Friday and called it an emotional conversation, during which the two wept together. Martinez repeatedly emphasized his support of Abrams.
“For me, it’s about taking care of the person first, and not the player, and I’m going to do everything I can to help him,” Martinez said after the Nationals’ 5-1 victory over the Cubs. “I love the kid. He’s a good kid. He’s going to be back.”
Because Abrams has been with Washington for the entirety of the season, the demotion will not affect his service time. Players earn a full year of service with 172 days on the major league roster, and Abrams already has exceeded that threshold.
Abrams could, however, file a grievance through the Major League Baseball Players Association to fight for lost pay if he believes the demotion is unjust. He would lose around $30,000 of his $752,000 salary for missing the season’s final week. Abrams will be arbitration-eligible this winter, entering the system for the first of four times as a Super 2.
MacKenzie Gore, who threw seven sharp innings in Saturday’s win over the Cubs, struggled to find the words to talk about Abrams. The two are close, and both came to Washington together from the Padres.
“CJ’s family — we’ve played together our whole big league careers,” Gore said. “It’s a tough situation for me, and I’m always going to be for CJ there in this situation. It’s interesting. It’s a tough day hearing that, and you care about him. So it was tough, because we’re close, he’s family and you lose your best player.”
Martinez offered the situation as an opportunity for growth for Abrams.
“I’m hoping that he understands and that he becomes a better person and understands what his job means here for us, the Nats family,” Martinez said. “We’re going to get it right, and he’s going to help us win games.”
Acquired as one of the centerpieces of the Juan Soto trade two years ago, Abrams parlayed a breakout first half into an All-Star selection after hitting .268/.343/.489 with 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases over the Nationals’ first 89 games. He struggled significantly in the second half, slashing .203/.260/.326, and his defense has been a weakness throughout the season.
Still, the Nationals did not intend to send him to the minor leagues until they learned of his time spent at the casino, which was first reported Friday by CHGO.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
