CJ Abrams’ season is effectively over after the Washington Nationals traded the infielder to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday.

Nationals manager Davey Martinez confirmed to reporters in Chicago that it was not a performance issue, saying, “It’s an internal issue. I’m not going to give any details.”

The Nationals are in Chicago for a four-game series against the Cubs. They play at 2:20 p.m. ET on Saturday.

When asked about a tweet in which Abrams was at a Chicago casino until 8 a.m., Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said: The athlete“We are all aware of the report, but beyond that it is an internal matter that we will keep within the family.”

The timing of the move immediately caused consternation, as the Triple-A season ends on Monday and missing the final week of the season will not affect Abrams’ eligibility for Super Two status. Instead, the roster move is more of a message to the 23-year-old Abrams, whose talent has never been in question since he was acquired from the San Diego Padres as part of the Juan Soto trade package. Sources with knowledge who are not authorized to speak publicly said The athlete There was no specific incident that triggered the change in the team lineup.

Abrams was the Nationals’ only All-Star representative this season, but had a lackluster second half. At the All-Star break, he had an OPS of .831 with 15 home runs and 15 steals. Through Saturday, he had a batting average of .203 with an OPS of .586. Abrams had started to recover somewhat at the plate, hitting .324/.366/.934 over the last two weeks.

Abrams will go to the team’s spring facility in West Palm Beach. The Nationals have recalled infielder Trey Lipscomb in a corresponding move.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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