Nationals Place All-Star Shortstop on 10-Day IL, Recall Former Top Prospect

The Washington Nationals are off to a 6-7 start this season.

They have gotten some good play from their younger players, including their All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams.

Unfortunately for the Nationals, they just lost him to a re-aggravated injury.

Per MLB Trade Rumors, Washington has placed Abrams on the 10-day IL with a right hip flexor strain.

Before getting hurt, the 24-year-old was slashing .244/.289/.545 with four home runs, seven RBI, four stolen bases and six runs scored in 11 games played. Those stats made him worth 0.6 Wins Above Replacement.

In the field, Abrams had only made one error in 91.0 innings played.

Losing his bat is one thing, but not having his athletic ability up the middle is going to hurt the Nationals for the time being.

To replace him on the big league roster, Washington called up Nasim Nunez.

Nunez was a top prospect before losing his rookie status in 2024. In 51 games played last season, the 23-year-old slashed .246/.370/.262 with eight stolen bases and 14 runs scored.

In the minor leagues this season, the switch-hitter is just 5-for-26 with five runs scored. Nunez lacks the power at the plate, but his speed makes his bat valuable in the lineup. He will not be the everyday player with Abrams out, but he is a great platoon option.

Instead of putting Nunez in the lineup, the Nationals will most likely use Paul DeJong at shortstop -- something they are doing on Saturday afternoon.

DeJong is a former All-Star at the position and should be a suitable replacement while Abrams heals his hip flexor.