Washington Nationals infielder CJ Abrams (hip) was able to run on the field prior to Tuesday's contest. Abrams was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right hip flexor strain on April 12 but appears to already be making significant progress. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his progression as he could be activated on his earliest return date, April 22. Before his injury, the 24-year-old flashed his power upside as he held a .244/.289/.585 slash line with two doubles and four long balls across just 11 games. During this stretch, Abrams swiped four bags and scored six runs. Fantasy managers should expect the former top prospect to return to his typical spot at the top of the lineup when he is cleared to return. While he is out, Amed Rosario, Trey Lipscomb, and Nasim Nunez should continue to share time at shortstop.

The Washington Nationals have placed shortstop CJ Abrams (hip) on the 10-day injured list. In a corresponding move, the Nationals promoted infielder Nasim Nunez from Triple-A. The infielder aggravated his right hip flexor during Friday's contest against the Miami Marlins. The 24-year-old was also kept out of the starting lineup earlier in the week due to a hip injury. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status in case he needs to miss additional time while on the injured list. Through his first 11 games of the campaign, Abrams has held a .244/.289/.585 slash line with two doubles, four home runs, and four stolen bases. While Abrams is out, fantasy managers should expect Paul DeJong to see most of the opportunities at shortstop.

Washington Nationals CJ Abrams (hip) aggravated his hip flexor during Friday's 7-4 win over the Miami Marlins. Abrams injured his hip while attempting to steal second base and fielding a grounder in the third inning. The 24-year-old went 0-for-1 with a walk, stolen base, and a strikeout before exiting Friday's game. He will be re-evaluated on Saturday and is considered day-to-day for now. Abrams is slashing .244/.289/.585 with four home runs, seven RBI, and four stolen bases over 46 plate appearances in 2025. Amed Rosario replaced Abrams on Friday and would see an uptick in at-bats if he were to miss any games. Rosario is on the deep-league radar for fantasy managers searching for middle infield help after hitting .318 (7-for-22) with a home run and five RBI over seven games.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (undisclosed) has been removed early during Friday's game against the Miami Marlins. It's unclear what exactly happened to Abrams, but he was removed in the fourth inning due to injury. It's worth noting that he missed time earlier in the week due to a hip flexor issue. Paul DeJong shifted over to shortstop while Amed Rosario takes over at third base with Abrams exiting. Both players figure to see more playing time if Abrams is forced to miss time. Fantasy managers will need to check back after the game for more information.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams went 1-for-5 with a solo homer and a stolen base in a 6-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday. Abrams hit a leadoff homer for the Nationals in the contest, a shot that traveled 379 feet with an exit velocity of 102.8 MPH. The veteran infielder is off to a productive start in 2025, hitting .250 with four homers, six runs, seven RBI, and three steals spanning 40 at-bats. Abrams has emerged as a quality power/speed fantasy asset over the past two seasons and continues to be a high-end option at the shortstop position moving forward.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (thigh) is back at shortstop and is hitting leadoff for the Nats for Wednesday's series finale at Nationals Park against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers and right-hander Landon Knack, who is making his first start of 2025. Washington kept Abrams out of the lineup as a precaution the last two games due to right-thigh tightness that he experienced late in Sunday's game. The 24-year-old is back in the lineup on Wednesday, though, and should be returned to fantasy lineups as a result. Veteran Paul DeJong is moving back to third base and will hit eighth in the batting order. While Abrams doesn't have much history against Knack (he's faced him only five times), he does have a solo home run against him. In his first nine games in his fourth MLB season, Abrams has gone 9-for-35 with three homers, two doubles, six RBI and two steals in 39 plate appearances.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (thigh) is still out of the starting lineup on Tuesday against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers at Nationals Park. Paul DeJong will once again make the start at shortstop and bat seventh, with Amed Rosario starting at third and hitting fifth against Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski. This will be Abrams' second straight missed game due to a tight thigh, but he's considered day-to-day and could return for Wednesday's series finale against L.A. The Nats have an off day on Thursday, though, so they could also keep him out for the entire series against the Dodgers and have him ready to go for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Miami Marlins. DeJong has gone 7-for-29 in the early going in his first year with Washington and is still searching for his first homer. Rosario has looked good in four games, going 6-for-14 with a solo homer and a stolen base.

Updating a previous report, Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (thigh) is out of the starting lineup on Monday against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers at Nationals Park, but manager Dave Martinez said there's no concern with Abrams' right-thigh tightness at the moment. The 24-year-old felt some tightness in his thigh on the final play of the team's game on Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, so he'll sit out Monday's game as a precaution. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Abrams to see if he's back in there for Game 2 of the series on Tuesday. With Abrams out to begin the week, Paul DeJong will slide over to shortstop and will hit seventh, with Jose Tena getting the start at third and batting eighth against Dodgers right-hander Dustin May. Abrams is off to a decent start in 2025, going 9-for-35 with three home runs, two doubles, six RBI and two steals in nine games.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams will retreat to the bench for Monday's series opener versus the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers at National s Park. Paul DeJong will slide over to the 6 and bat seventh, while Jose Tena will get the nod at third base and hit eighth against Dodgers right-hander Dustin May. This will be Abrams' first day off of the 2025 regular season. The 24-year-old former first-rounder of the San Diego Padres in 2019 has started his third full season in D.C. by hitting .257/.289/.571 with an .861 OPS, three home runs, two doubles, six RBI, two steals and five runs scored in nine games played. Expect him to return to action on Tuesday against L.A. Neither DeJong nor Tena will be great DFS options on Monday. DeJong has been the team's regular at third in the early going, and he's going 6-for-25. He's still searching for his first homer and has hit .200 in just five career at-bats versus May.

As expected, Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (quadriceps) is back in the Grapefruit League lineup on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays after being pulled following a first-inning triple on Wednesday. Abrams is back at the 6 and is batting leadoff after experiencing tightness in both of his quadriceps muscles on Wednesday while rounding the bases. After a strong start to last season, the 24-year-old looks primed for another strong start in 2025 while hitting .300 with a home run in 30 at-bats this spring. However, Abrams tailed off in the second half in 2024 and was sent to the minors for staying out past curfew on a trip to Chicago. His chase rate is perhaps his biggest red flag, but Abrams still offers enough power/speed upside to be considered a top-10 fantasy shortstop. He was a first-time All-Star last year and had 20 home runs and 31 stolen bases in 138 games played.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (quadriceps) was pulled from Wednesday's Grapefruit League game early against the Houston Astros after both of his quadriceps muscles tightened up on him during his first-inning triple. "He should be OK," manager Dave Martinez said. The 24-year-old is scheduled to be on the trip to Port Charlotte for Thursday's spring game against the Tampa Bay Rays, so it's obviously not a big concern. After tripling in the first inning, Abrams has now gone 9-for-30 in Grapefruit League play with a home run in 10 contests. He was a first-time All-Star in his second full season in D.C. in 2024 but had a lapse in judgment late in the year when he stayed out past curfew, which resulted in a trip back to the minors as punishment. Abrams was unable to sustain a solid first half and also continued to chase too many pitches, but there's no denying his power/speed upside as a top-10 fantasy SS.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams will remain the team's leadoff hitter in 2025, according to manager Dave Martinez. Abrams held the top spot in the batting order from July of 2023 until August of last year and hit .252/.318/.441 with 111 runs scored, 35 doubles, nine triples, 28 homers, 89 RBI and 56 stolen bases. He was bumped from the leadoff spot after a second-half slump last year that included a demotion to the minors for disciplinary reasons. "CJ's done well up there," Martinez said. "I want him to lead off." It's unclear what the rest of the Nats' lineup will look like, but outfielder James Wood will probably hit second or third, with outfielder Dylan Crews also near the top of the order. The 24-year-old Abrams should be considered a top-10 fantasy shortstop thanks to his power/speed combo, but there are concerns about his plate discipline and his batted-ball metrics, as well as his maturity.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams was demoted to Triple-A Rochester earlier on Saturday due to off-field actions. Jim Bowden of CBS Sports reported that Abrams was seen at Bally Casino past 8 am before a 1 pm game, according to multiple eyewitnesses. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring this situation over the season's final week and during the offseason, as the team did not approve of his behavior. Since the start of September, the infielder has held a .271/.308/.458 line with two home runs and four stolen bases. Overall, in his second full season in the big leagues, the 23-year-old has emerged as both a power and speed threat as he hit 20 long balls and swiped 31 bags while holding a .246 AVG. The former first-round pick will likely be one of the first shortstops taken in drafts next season due to his ability to contribute to all five standard categories.

The Washington Nationals are optioning shortstop CJ Abrams to the minor leagues on Saturday, according to sources. Abrams had a breakout first half and was named to the National League All-Star squad, but he has struggled in the second half. Since the All-Star break, the former first-rounder has hit just .203 (38-for-187) with five home runs, eight RBI, 17 RBI, 10 walks, 48 strikeouts and 16 stolen bases in 49 games played to drop his season line to .246/.314/.433. The 23-year-old has still produced his first 20-20 season in his second full season in D.C. with 20 home runs and 31 stolen bases in 138 games after hitting 18 dingers and stealing a career-high 47 bags in 2023. It's an odd move, to say the least, especially with the minor-league seasons concluding on Sunday. Abrams did have four hits on Thursday and has hit .271 (13-for-48) with two homers, three doubles, three RBI and four steals in September.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams was seeing the ball well on Thursday, going 4-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored, and two stolen bases in a 7-6 loss against the Chicago Cubs. Abrams reached the 30-steal mark with his two swipes as he continues to be one of the game's premiere thieves. While his power and speed numbers remain very good, Abrams has struggled tremendously in the second half, with an OPS of .572 in July, .569 in August, and .656 in September coming into this one. He should remain a solid fantasy option in 2025, but managers should be aware that prolonged slumps are likely with Abrams.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (shoulder) is back in the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the New York Mets. The left-handed slugger returns to the lineup after missing each of the last four games due to left shoulder soreness. Luckily, it was only a minor issue and Abrams should be fully ready to go on Tuesday. He'll serve as the leadoff hitter and cover shortstop against right-hander Tylor Megill. The 23-year-old is slumping in September but is hitting .239 with 20 home runs and 65 RBI in 2024. Fantasy managers who have Abrams rostered can get him back in their lineups on Tuesday.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (shoulder) is out of the starting lineup on Monday for the fourth straight contest against the division-rival New York Mets at Citi Field. With Abrams out again, rookie Nasim Nunez is making another start at the 6 and is batting in the nine-hole against Mets left-hander Sean Manaea. Abrams remains day-to-day to begin the week due to left-shoulder soreness. Fantasy managers obviously need to keep the 23-year-old benched and check back to see if he's available to play on Tuesday for the second game of the series. In his first 40 major-league games this year, Nunez is slashing .270/.386/.297 with a .684 OPS, no home runs, one double, an RBI, six stolen bases and 13 runs scored in 48 trips to the plate. Nunez has been able to make plenty of contact but carries very little fantasy upside, especially at the bottom of the batting order.UPDATE: Abrams is close to returning and was available off the bench on Monday.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (shoulder) is being kept out of the starting nine again on Sunday afternoon as the Nationals look to clinch a series victory over the Miami Marlins. The star infielder has been sidelined since Friday due to shoulder soreness and will need at least another day to rest. As a result, Nasim Nunez will cover shortstop again and bat in the nine-hole. Abrams has emerged as a legit power and speed threat this season, hitting 20 home runs and swiping 29 bags. Nunez has tallied just four hits across his past nine starts and should be left out of your DFS lineup this afternoon as he will face Miami right-hander Adam Oller.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (shoulder) remained out of the lineup on Saturday due to a shoulder injury. The 23-year-old was kept sidelined on Friday as well. Fantasy managers should consider Abrams day-to-day for the time being as he could be cleared to return for the series finale against the Miami Marlins on Sunday. As a result, Nasim Nunez will cover shortstop Saturday afternoon and bat in the nine-hole. Abrams has enjoyed another excellent season this summer, launching 20 home runs and swiping 29 bags while holding a .239 AVG. Nunez has tallied four hits in his past five starts and could be a sneaky play in DFS as he will face Miami right-hander Valente Bellozo.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (shoulder) has been scratched from the lineup on Friday against the division-rival Miami Marlins at Nationals Park due to a sore left shoulder after a diving play on Thursday night. With Abrams out, everyone in the batting order moves up a slot, with rookie outfielder Dylan Crews starting in right field and batting leadoff against Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera. Nasim Nunez slots in at the 6 in D.C. and will hit in the nine-hole. Fantasy managers should consider Abrams to be day-to-day for now and check back on Saturday to see if he is available to play against the Fish. The rookie Nunez has handled himself well in his first 37 big-league games in 2024 by hitting .345 (10-for-29), but he has yet to clear the fences and will have limited DFS appeal at the bottom of Washington's batting order.