In a season full of National League apologies, the Washington Nationals just issued the most honest one yet — to themselves. Two-time All-Star CJ Abrams, the guy who started at shortstop for the NL in the All-Star Game less than a month ago, is being moved to second base. Manager Blake Butera made it official Friday before Washington's 124th game: Abrams will swap spots with Nasim Nuñez, a transition the skipper says will take "more days than weeks." It is a demotion, a repositioning, and a confession all at once — and it might be the most consequential decision the Nationals make all decade.
The Numbers Finally Got Loud Enough
Here's the uncomfortable truth nobody in Washington wanted to say out loud: Abrams is the worst defensive shortstop in baseball, and the gap isn't close. Statcast's Outs Above Average grades him at minus-17 this season — the worst mark in the majors — to go with a league-worst minus-13 run value and 19 errors, the most of any player in MLB. His .958 fielding percentage would be a career low. And this isn't a one-year blip: since 2023, Abrams has posted a league-low minus-55 OAA. Amed Rosario is next at minus-38. That's a chasm.
The brutal irony is that Abrams is having the best offensive season of his life while his glove is setting new lows. He's slashing .284/.357/.541 with 28 home runs and a major-league-best 91 RBIs — an .898 OPS that would make him a legitimate MVP candidate at almost any other position. He's the reason the Nationals' run differential (+18) looks dramatically better than their 60-66 record. But the defense has been quietly dragging the whole operation down, and the front office finally decided the optics of keeping an All-Star at his "natural position" weren't worth the outs.
This Isn't a Punishment. It's an Upgrade.
Here's the take most of the national coverage will miss: moving Abrams to second base doesn't shrink him — it unlocks him. Second base is the position where his profile finally makes sense. He's an explosive athlete with elite range and a quick release; the problem was never the athleticism, it was the throwing platform, the backhand, the glovework on the run that shortstop demands. Butera essentially admitted as much, noting the shorter throw at second and Abrams' ability to turn double plays from shifts he's already run.
And the guy taking over at shortstop isn't a consolation prize. Nuñez is the polar opposite of Abrams — elite glove, quiet bat. He's posted plus-9 OAA and plus-13 DRS at second base, leads the majors in range factor at the position, and leads all of MLB with 40 stolen bases. He's hitting just .230/.315/.267 with eight extra-base hits in 400 plate appearances, which is exactly why this swap is so smart: Nuñez's defense is more valuable at shortstop, the sport's most demanding infield position, and Abrams' bat is more valuable at second, where his glove can stop bleeding runs.
The Hot Take: This Protects Abrams' Value More Than It Hurts It
Conventional wisdom says a shortstop moving to second base loses money. That's true for the Francisco Lindor types of the world — but Abrams was never that. He was an All-Star by name and a liability by Statcast, and every team in the league knew it. The free-agent market for a 29-homer shortstop with a minus-17 OAA is a trap; the market for a 30-homer second baseman with an .898 OPS and adequate defense is a bidding war. The Nationals, with Abrams under arbitration control through 2028 at just $4.2 million this season, just converted their most valuable asset from "broken shortstop" to "elite offensive second baseman" — and did it while the calendar still allows him to build a full-season defensive résumé at the new spot before the offseason's trade talks begin.
Abrams, for his part, isn't thrilled, and he shouldn't have to pretend otherwise. "I believe I can be a great shortstop," he said — and that pride is precisely why this had to be a manager's decision, not a player's. Butera told reporters Abrams was amenable after they talked through it, and the competitor in Abrams wanted to stay. Good. The Nationals didn't cave to sentiment, and that's the culture shift this rebuild needed.
What Happens Next
The transition will be gradual — Abrams will still spot at shortstop once or twice a week — but the direction is set. Washington's infield of the future is taking shape: Nuñez at short, Abrams at second, and a wave of shortstop prospects (Seaver King among them) knocking on the door. The Nationals are 7.5 games back of the final NL wild-card spot with a run differential that says they're better than their record — and this move is the clearest sign yet that they intend to actually win those games, not just collect development reps.
Prediction: Abrams posts a top-five OAA at second base over the final six weeks, finishes in the top five of NL MVP voting on the strength of a 35-homer, 110-RBI season, and enters the winter as the most intriguing trade chip in baseball — a 25-year-old middle infielder with a shortstop's bat and a second baseman's glove, available at a bargain price. The Nationals just turned their biggest weakness into their biggest selling point. That's not a demotion. That's an upgrade wearing a demotion's clothes.
Rebecca Hayes
Rebecca Hayes writes sports features, previews, and event coverage with a focus on the people, trends, and storylines that fans care about.