Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams kicked off the game with a bang during Wednesday's matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Abrams welcomed Dodgers rookie Logan Knack to the majors with a 392-foot leadoff blast to start the game. The Nats didn't need much more as they pulled off the 2-0 victory. Abrams is on fire at the plate right now with two home runs in his last three games. He's hitting .295 with five home runs and 11 RBI in 15 games.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (finger) is back at shortstop and is batting leadoff on Tuesday against left-hander Kyle Harrison and the Giants in San Francisco. A bone bruise in Abrams' left pinkie finger kept him out of action for the last three games, but it was never considered a very serious injury. Fantasy baseball managers in single-year leagues will want to get the 23-year-old back into their lineups. The former sixth overall pick of the San Diego Padres in 2019 could easily break out in his second full season in D.C. this year. Abrams was off to a strong start in his first seven games before injuring his pinkie, going 9-for-28 (.321) with two home runs, a triple, five RBI, three stolen bases and five runs scored in 32 plate appearances. He's never faced Harrison yet in his MLB career.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (finger) is not in the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the San Francisco Giants. This marks the third game in a row that Abrams has missed due to a bone bruise on his left pinkie finger. The organization is hopeful that it's a minor issue and he'll return soon. Otherwise, Abrams could be looking at a trip to the injured list. Ildemaro Vargas will get another start at shortstop, but he's not worth looking at as a streaming option for Monday. Check back on Tuesday to see if Abrams is back in there.UPDATE: Manager Dave Martinez is hopeful that Abrams will be in the lineup on Tuesday.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (finger) remains out of the starting lineup on Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies. Rookie outfielder Jacob Young is hitting leadoff for the Nats for the second straight day as a result, with left fielder Jesse Winker in the two-hole against Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez. Meanwhile, Ildemaro Vargas gets the start at shortstop and will bat seventh in the lineup. Abrams is dealing with a bone bruise in his left pinkie finger and will miss his second straight game to close out the series against Philadelphia. The injury isn't serious for the 23-year-old, though, so fantasy baseball managers should consider Abrams day-to-day and check back on Monday to see if he's back in there on Monday on the road in San Francisco against the Giants.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams was a pregame scratch on Saturday. Nasim Nunez will take his place. Nunez made his MLB debut earlier this season but has yet to register a plate appearance. He was a pinch-runner when he made his debut, successfully stealing a base and scoring a run. Last season, the switch hitter batted just .224 in 125 games at Double-A, but had an impressive 14.9% BB% and swiped 52 bags. The 23-year-old will bat ninth against LHP Ranger Suarez. Abrams' absence is reportedly connected to an "awkward slide" in Friday's game where he apparently injured his thumb. Right now he's considered day-to-day.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams continued suggesting his 2023 breakout was no fluke after bopping his second home run of the season in Thursday's 7-4 loss to the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Some of StatCast's sabermetrics implied Abrams was a big overachiever a season ago, but he's starting to quell any fear of negative regression during the early goings. His homer was a 436-foot bomb to deep right center, and Abrams added a seventh-inning single. One of the key pieces of 2022's Juan Soto trade, the 23-year-old former No. 6 overall pick is up to a .333 batting average (8-for-24) with two round-trippers, five RBI, five runs scored, and three stolen bases in six outings. After combining for 65 homers and swipes last year, Abrams might outdo himself in that area in 2024. The division-rival Philadelphia Phillies, who Abrams hit just. 227 with one HR and four RBI in 11 games against in 2023, are on tap for a three-game set starting on Friday.

Washington Nationals second baseman CJ Abrams went 1-for-3 with three walks, three runs, and three stolen bases in Saturday's 7-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds. He showed off his wheels, getting on base three times and stealing three bags. The 23-year-old rebounded on Saturday after going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts on Opening Day. His sprint speed is in the 82nd percentile per Baseball Savant. Abrams has elite speed as he stole 47 bags in 2023 and will look to steal 40-plus bases for the Nationals and fantasy managers again in 2024. Fantasy managers should continue to roll with Abrams in all league formats.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams picked up his first stolen base of the spring in Monday's 6-3 Grapefruit League loss to the Mets. The 23-year-old is 2-for-5 with two singles in his first games of spring action. The former first-round pick delivered a power-speed combination in 2023, slashing .245/.300/.412 with 18 home runs, 83 runs scored, 64 RBI, and 47 stolen bases in 614 plate appearances. The Nationals aren't the best lineup to hit in for counting stats, but the allure of Abrams' HR and SB totals with the hope for some batting average regression have him as a higher-end fantasy pick heading into 2024.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (knee) is back in the starting lineup on Monday, playing shortstop and batting leadoff against the Pittsburgh Pirates and right-hander Andre Jackson. Abrams injured his knee on Saturday but missed just one game, so fantasy managers should be returning him to their starting lineups everywhere to begin the week. The 22-year-old has broken out in just his second MLB season and first full year in D.C., as he's hitting .250/.303/.415 with 16 home runs, 22 doubles, five triples, 54 RBI, 41 stolen bases and 72 runs scored in 527 plate appearances and 132 games played. He's gone 6-for-22 (.273) with two homers, a triple, four RBI, three stolen bases and six runs scored in six starts so far in September.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a strikeout in a 6-5 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday. Abrams put the Nationals up 5-3 in the top of the seventh inning when took reliever Tommy Kahnle deep for his 14th long ball of the season. It was the 22-year-old's third home run in the last six contests. Abrams has really slowed down in the month of August after putting together an impressive July in which he hit .327/.391/.500 over 98 at-bats. Across 83 games this month, he's slashing just .229/.273./422 but does have four home runs, eight RBI, and four stolen bases. Overall, he's putting together a solid campaign in Washington with a .252/.303/.418 batting line to go along with 14 home runs, 49 RBI, and 33 stolen bases over 433 at-bats.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams is not in Thursday afternoon's starting lineup versus Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale. The lefty-swinging infielder got the start against another lefty in Boston's James Paxton on Wednesday but went hitless with a stolen base and a strikeout in four trips to the plate. The 22-year-old has dealt with a back injury of late, which could help explain his absence on Thursday, but Abrams is also hitting just .190 with a .596 OPS versus southpaw pitching this season. Overall, Abrams is hitting .253 on the season but has provided a nice combination of power and speed with 11 homers and 31 stolen bases across 112 appearances. Former Red Sox farmhand Jeter Downs will take over at shortstop and hit ninth against Sale Thursday in Washington.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (back) is back in the team's starting lineup on Tuesday and is playing shortstop and batting leadoff against the visiting Boston Red Sox and right-hander Nick Pivetta. Abrams is ready to return after Monday's off day after he was taken out of Sunday's game early against the Oakland Athletics with back spasms. Fantasy managers will want to get the 22-year-old back in their starting lineups. In his first full season as the team's starting shortstop in D.C., Abrams is batting .255/.306/.413 with 11 home runs, 22 doubles, four triples, 44 RBI, 29 stolen bases and 57 runs scored in 110 games. He's been better since the All-Star break, hitting .280 (33-for-118) with four homers, six doubles, a triple, nine RBI, 15 steals and 22 runs in 29 games (28 starts).

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (back) was forced to exit early during Sunday's game against the Oakland Athletics. The 22-year-old was pulled out of the contest due to back spasms. It was a 7-2 ballgame at the time, so possibly the team decided to take Abrams out as a precaution. At the moment, fantasy managers should consider Abrams as day-to-day. Fantasy managers should get an update on his status before their next game.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams logged a walk-off single in the ninth inning to knock off the Rockies 5-4 on Wednesday. The Nationals recorded all but one of their runs in the ninth frame, primarily relying on four walks and a hit-by-pitch to do the damage. Washington's two hits were ground balls through the infield to end the game. Abrams has been on a hot streak this month, posting an excellent batting average of .388. He logged his 20th run in 20 games after drawing a base on balls against Colorado.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams didn't manage to get a hit in the team's 5-4 extra-inning loss to the visiting Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, but he made his presence felt on the basepaths with two stolen bases. Abrams finished the day 0-for-4 with a run scored and a strikeout. The former sixth overall pick is hitting only .233 (63-for-270) on the year, but the 22-year-old has plenty of upside and is at least contributing in the stolen-base column (11 this year) for his fantasy managers in deep-mixed leagues. Since a three-hit game on June 21, Abrams is hitting an improved .289 (13-for-45) with a homer, four doubles, a triple, three RBI, four thefts and eight runs scored in 13 games. His fantasy managers are hoping he'll continue swinging it to close out the month of July.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (elbow) is back at shortstop and is hitting ninth in the batting order on Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies and left-hander Cristopher Sanchez. Abrams was day-to-day this week after getting hit by a pitch on his right elbow Tuesday. He sat out of Wednesday's game but has returned on Friday after having Thursday's off day to rest up. The 22-year-old is mostly useful for his speed (nine stolen bases) in deep-mixed fantasy leagues. He's returning to a .233/.279/.390 slash line with seven home runs, 14 doubles, two triples, 33 RBI and 30 runs scored in 72 games in his first full season in D.C. Abrams has hit well in his last 11 games, going 12-for-37 (.324) with a homer, three RBI and three stolen bases.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (elbow) and first baseman Joey Meneses are both getting the day off on Wednesday as the team takes on the Seattle Mariners. Abrams is setting out with a bruised right elbow after getting hit by a pitch on Tuesday night, but fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. Ildemaro Vargas is starting at the 6 and is batting sixth, while Dominic Smith will get the start at first base and hit fifth against Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert. Abrams, a former first-rounder, isn't hitting for average in his first full season in D.C. and has added seven home runs, 14 doubles and nine stolen bases in 72 games. Meneses is contributing a strong .287 average (87-for-303) but without the counting stats (two homers, no steals).

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams went 2-for-4 with a long ball, two runs scored and a stolen base in an easy win over the New York Mets on Monday. He's now hitting .309 in 55 at-bats since April 26. The co-centerpiece of the Juan Soto trade last summer alongside MacKenzie Gore, Abrams is starting to flash the talent that made him the sixth overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. The 22-year-old is still a work in progress, though, leading the National League in fielding errors committed this season. Even so, he's slowly raising his dynasty fantasy value. Abrams looks forward to a series against the Miami Marlins starting on Tuesday. He's hitting .370 in 10 games against Miami during his short MLB career thus far.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams is getting the day off on Sunday. In his place, Ildemaro Vargas is starting at shortstop and is hitting seventh in the batting order against left-hander Jared Shuster and the Atlanta Braves. It has been a rough start to the 2023 regular season for Abrams, who has gone 0-for-7 at the plate while also committing three errors on defense in the first two games for the Nats. The 22-year-old has plenty of long-term upside, but he'll need to show more offensively if he wants to move up in Washington's lineup eventually this year. Vargas, 31, has a .243/.279/.368 slash line in seven big-league seasons with only 12 home runs, 65 RBI and six stolen bases in 240 career games.

Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said he thinks both infielders CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia could be top-of-the-order hitters eventually, but they are both expected to hit near the bottom of the regular lineup when the 2023 season begins. When Abrams joined the team in mid-August in 2022, he hit mostly seventh, eighth or even ninth until he was moved up to the No. 2 spot in late September. Abrams has the chance to work his way up the lineup with a strong spring performance, but Martinez isn't going to force the issue with the 22-year-old. Lane Thomas appears set to open the year in the leadoff spot for the Nats. Abrams was a bit underwhelming with the bat in his first 302 big-league plate appearances, and he'll need to start drawing more walks to earn a move up Washington's regular season lineup.