For C.J. Abrams and the San Diego Padres, the future is now

According to MLB.com, Abrams headed into the spring as the ninth-best prospect in all of baseball. He’s the San Diego Padres’ top prospect in a farm system that’s still loaded with talent.

Still only 21 years old, Abrams' ascension to the majors comes after he appeared in just 44 minor league games above rookie ball. The shortstop was hurt by the 2020 MiLB season being canceled due to COVID-19. He also missed the final three months of last season due to a fractured left tibia and MCL sprain he suffered in a collision while playing for the Double-A San Antonio Missions.

“Sitting out during the season was probably the hardest part," Abrams said, via MLB.com's AJ Cassavell. "I want to play — bad. But you can’t. That was the hardest part. But it was all good, a good recovery.”

It’s rare for a prospect to make it to the majors without playing Triple-A ball. It’s even more rare given what Abrams himself has had to deal with since the Padres selected him out of Blessed Trinity High School in Roswell, Georgia, back in 2019.

Fernando Tatis injury opened up a spot for C.J. Abrams

One of the true young superstars in the game, Tatis Jr. is expected to miss roughly the first two months of the regular season due to a fractured wrist he suffered during the offseason.

Blocking Abrams’ path to the majors due to the fact that they are both natural shortstops, said injury opened the door for the youngster this spring. Abrams more than took advantage of it.

• C.J. Abrams stats (spring training): .324 average, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .873 OPS in 17 games

There’s still some concerns over strikeouts and making contact. In Abrams’ 37 spring training at-bats, he struck out 11 times. That must change if he wants to be a top-of-the-order bat. For now, Abrams will start his MLB career on the bench.

C.J. Abrams as a potential San Diego Padres trade chip

This would be hard to ignore. As noted above, Tatis Jr. was blocking Abrams’ path to the majors. Sure the youngster could play second base, but the presence of Jake Cronenworth complicates this further.

Firmly looking to contend under new manager Bob Melvin following a down 2021 season, San Diego has made some win-now moves. It added slugger Luke Voit and pitcher Sean Manaea in trades over the past several weeks.

There’s also a major need in the outfield for the Padres. Could they potentially use Abrams as a trade chip early in the season or leading up to the August MLB trade deadline? It’s a real possibility. Giving him an opportunity to play now could increase the youngster’s trade value.