2026 has been a breakout season for CJ Abrams on the offensive side of the ball, posting a .401 OBP, .960 OPS, and hitting 9 home runs entering play today. He is hitting the ball harder than ever, and his improved approach at the plate has led to a career-low strikeout rate and a career-high walk rate.
The one area Abrams has not made a stride this season is defensively, as in 36 games at shortstop this season, he ranks in the 1st percentile of Outs Above Average at -6. Many hoped Abrams could make
improvements at short this season under the new regime, but unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case, as he is currently on pace for the worst defensive season of his career.
The most difficult balls for Abrams this season have been ones he has to charge in on, as he’s had at least -4 OAA on those types of batted balls the last 3 years, and is up to -5 OAA on them already this season. He has been better on balls hit to his left this season, posting a -1 OAA so far this season compared to -6 in 2025, but the overall body of work at shortstop has been lackluster yet again for him.
While Abrams has been subpar at shortstop defensively, the other half of the Nationals’ middle infield, Nasim Nunez, has shone defensively, with his 3 Outs Above Average ranking in the 95th percentile in all of baseball. Nunez has struggled offensively in 2026, providing most of his value in the little things, such as bunting and baserunning, but his defensive prowess makes him a valuable ballplayer regardless.
With Abrams lack of defensive success at shortstop and Nunez, a natural shortstop, thriving at second base, it’s fair to question why the Nationals don’t just flip the two defensively. Nunez would easily be the best defensive shortstop the Nats have had since Trea Turner, and his offensive shortcomings would be more tolerable because he’s defending so well at one of the most important positions on the field.
Moving Abrams off shortstop sooner than later makes sense for the Nats long term with the abundance of shortstops they have coming up through the minor league system, including but not limited to Eli Willits, Ronny Cruz, and Seaver King.
King is the closest of that group to reaching the big leagues, currently going scorched earth to Double-A pitching, and he is well-regarded for his smooth actions at shortstop with a strong arm to go with it. Willits is a few years away from debuting in the majors, but he is already standing out at Low A for his defensive abilities.
Moving CJ Abrams to second base also slightly cheapens up a possible extension for him, as the going rate for second basemen is lower than for shortstops in the league. Problems could arise if Abrams uses his claim to shortstop in negotiations, saying he won’t sign an extension if he’s moved off his position, but after years of poor defensive play at short, Abrams doesn’t deserve to have his claim to the position completely unchallenged.
