CJ Abrams's first All-Star campaign came to a unexpected end when the Washington Nationals optioned him to Triple-A Rochester late in the 2024 season. The surprising demotion took place right before the Triple-A season came to an end, and the Nationals were clear to distinguish that he was optioned because of an "internal matter," not his play.
Later, it was reported that the Nationals optioned Abrams after he was out at a casino until 8 a.m. despite the Nationals having a 1 p.m. game that same day. Abrams would go 0-for-3 with a walk in the loss to the Chicago Cubs that day.
The team would head into the offseason shortly after, but have since returned to spring training and are now looking towards a fresh start in the 2025 season. Nationals manager Davey Martinez noted that teh team has "moved on" from what happened with Abrams at the end of last season.
"We're beyond that," Martinez said, via Foul Territory. "I talked to him over the winter. I don't have any hard feelings about the whole deal. I love the kid, I really do. For the most part, he's engaged, he's here, he knows what he needs to do. His routine's impeccable. That's beyond us, I hope he learned from what happened, and we've moved on, and we're looking forward to him doing big things."
"I love the kid. I really do."
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) March 4, 2025
Davey Martinez has no hard feelings about the CJ Abrams incident late last season. pic.twitter.com/3ga6cIxH15
Abrams also addressed getting optioned earlier in spring training, saying it "took some time" to get passed the situation, but spent much of the offseason putting in work to prepare for the upcoming season. As the 2025 campaign approaches, Martinez is looking to see Abrams build off his All-Star season by improving his consistency on defense and accepting walks as the team's lead-off hitter.
The Nationals open up the season against the Philadelphia Phillies on March 27.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Davey Martinez Says He and CJ Abrams Back on Good Terms After Demotion Last Season.
