Washington Nationals’ CJ Abrams demoted to minors after late-night casino visit
(This story has been updated to include new details)
After discovering that All-Star shortstop C.J. Abrams had stayed out all night at a Chicago casino before a game on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field, Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo decided to demote him to the minor leagues for the remainder of the season.
The Nationals made the announcement on Saturday morning, prior to their game against the Chicago Cubs. Although Abrams was officially sent to Triple-A Rochester, that team’s season wraps up on Sunday, so he will spend the remainder of the year at the Nationals’ minor league facility in West Palm Beach, Florida.
This late-night outing will cost Abrams around $30,000 in earnings. However, his status as a Super 2 player eligible for arbitration will not be impacted since he has already accumulated 172 days on the major-league roster.
Abrams, who was the Nationals’ only All-Star representative and a key player in the trade for Juan Soto two years ago, has faced difficulties this season, particularly in the second half, where he has a batting average of just .203 and a .326 slugging percentage.
However, Nationals manager Davey Martinez clarified that the demotion was not a reflection of Abrams’ performance. He relayed the team’s decision on Friday after Abrams had an impressive game the night before, going 4-for-5 with two doubles and two stolen bases.
On Friday, Abrams did not record a hit and was called into Martinez’s office post-game, where he was questioned about a social media post indicating he had been at Bally’s Casino in Chicago until 8 a.m.
“I want to emphasize that this decision was not based on his performance,’’ Martinez indicated to reporters before Saturday’s game. “It involves internal matters. I’m not going to reveal details as I wish to support the other players.”
“I’m committed to supporting C.J. He’s an important member of our Nats family, and will continue to be. But without going into specifics, this was the appropriate action to take.”
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