Washington Nationals Scratch CJ Abrams From Starting Lineup Due to Shoulder Injury

CJ Abrams is dealing with left shoulder soreness after making a diving play against the Miami Marlins on Thursday, so Nasim Nuñez will serve as the Washington Nationals' starting shortstop in his place on Friday.

Sep 12, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (5) makes a throw to first base after fielding a ground ball by Miami Marlins outfielder Cristian Pache (not pictured) during the fourth inning at Nationals Park. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Washington Nationals have scratched star shortstop CJ Abrams from their starting lineup ahead of Friday night's showdown with the Miami Marlins.

Abrams was initially slated to serve as Washington's leadoff hitter. Nasim Nuñez will now start at shortstop in his place, batting ninth while everyone else moves up a spot in the lineup.

MASN Sports' Mark Zuckerman and The Washington Post's Andrew Golden were the first to share the news of the lineup change. They both reported that Abrams has been dealing with a sore left shoulder after making a diving play in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Marlins, despite the fact that he played the remainder of that game.

Abrams has appeared in 134 of the Nationals' 146 games so far this season, ranking second on the team in games played. The 23-year-old leads the entire roster in doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, runs, total bases and WAR.

When he was named an All-Star for the first time in his career back on July 7, Abrams was batting .282 with an .860 OPS and 3.6 WAR. In the two months since, though, he is batting .169 with a .530 OPS, letting his WAR dip to 3.2 in the process.

Abrams is batting .239 with 20 home runs, 65 RBI, 29 stolen bases and a .735 OPS on the whole this season.

Despite his second-half struggles, Abrams is still viewed as a core piece of Washington's offense moving forward, alongside James Wood, Dylan Crews, Luis García Jr. and others.

Here is the Nationals' full, updated lineup for game two of their series against the last-place Marlins:

1. Dylan Crews, RF
2. James Wood, LF
3. Andrés Chaparro, DH
4. José Tena, 3B
5. Luis García Jr., 2B
6. Joey Gallo, 1B
7. Drew Millas, C
8. Jacob Young, CF
9. Nasim Nuñez, SS
SP: DJ Herz, LHP

First pitch from Nationals Park is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET.

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