Nationals Announce Positive CJ Abrams Injury News After He Sat Finale vs. Rangers
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The Washington Nationals had a chance to win a series against the Texas Rangers on Thursday.
After splitting the first two games, the Nationals knew they were facing a tall task with Jacob deGrom set to pitch on the other side. But that task became even taller when manager Blake Butera revealed that their star CJ Abrams was going to be out after he suffered a left ankle injury on Wednesday.
Without Abrams, Washington only mustered one hit in the 2-0 shutout loss. Their lineup was overmatched against deGrom, as one of the best offenses in the sport looked pedestrian with both Abrams and James Wood sitting in the dugout due to injury.
Nationals Expect CJ Abrams To Be Back This Weekend
Thankfully, it doesn't seem like they'll be without Abrams for long.
According to Mark Zuckerman of Nats Journal, Butera stated after Thursday's contest that the X-rays on Abrams' ankle came back negative. While the Nationals expect him to be out for the start of the three-game weekend set against the Miami Marlins, they are hopeful he'll be back on Saturday.
It goes without saying that is a massive development for Washington. While they are extreme longshots to make the playoffs at this point in time, the organization would prefer to finish this season on a high note, especially because the first year under this new regime has featured a ton of positives following multiple seasons of underwhelming play.
CJ Abrams' Second Base Debut Could Take a While
Getting Abrams back in any capacity is a positive. However, this ankle injury also creates more question marks about when, or if, he is going to make his debut at second base for the Nationals. Previously, the plan was for Washington to shift him to the keystone. That would give Abrams game reps at a new position so both parties could enter the offseason with data points on how he felt and performed in his new role.
But, at the time of writing, it's unclear whether or not that plan will need to be altered. They clearly need his bat to be available, so they might opt to utilize him as the team's designated hitter instead of putting him in the field, especially as he's trying to learn a new position that he hasn't played since he was with the San Diego Padres back in 2022.
All in all, the update from Butera after Thursday's game was a positive one. It sounds like Abrams will miss minimal time after there was some fear that he could be out for a while. But the team's plan to move him to second base might have to be paused, which could complicate things moving forward.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai