'We're glad he's back': Abrams' defense shines in return from IL

WASHINGTON -- When a sharp line drive was sliced to CJ Abrams, the crafty shortstop swiftly dove toward third base for an impressive catch without missing a beat.

Abrams, though, had not played since April 11.

“He’s always ready,” said manager Dave Martinez.

The 24-year-old was placed on the injured list on April 12 because of a right hip flexor strain. He made two rehab appearances with Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday and Wednesday, checking the boxes of being pain-free to rejoin the Nats on Thursday for the series finale against the Orioles.

“I want to be able to play for the rest of the season, be available whenever I can, and I can't do that being hurt,” Abrams said. “So just getting all the way 100 percent was big, and we did that.”

Abrams was tested defensively in both directions in the Nationals’ 2-1 loss.

In the fourth inning, Gunnar Henderson grounded up the middle. Abrams shifted to his right to nab the ball on the first-base side of the bag to throw out Henderson.

“His first step is getting better and better,” Martinez said. “He made that diving catch [against Jorge Mateo], but he made a nice play on the other side of second base, which was awesome, with a pretty good runner.”

Abrams returned to the leadoff spot, where he holds a .257 career batting average and has hit in the order every game this season.

Martinez moved James Wood, who has made seven starts in the leadoff spot this season, to No. 3 on Thursday. Wood hit four home runs -- including a 116.3 mph leadoff rocket on Wednesday -- and batted .321 with a 1.209 OPS at the top of the order.

“I think right now, unless he does something drastically that tells me he can't do it, that he's done it and he’s done it very well,” Martinez said of Abrams. “He feeds off of it. He wants to be the guy that gets us going. I think if I do start moving him all over the place, it'll deter what we're trying to accomplish with him. And he was an All-Star leading off. So we’re glad he’s back, we’re glad he’s leading off.”

Abrams enjoyed seeing Wood’s success from the sidelines while he recovered.

“James has been swinging,” Abrams said. “... He’s been doing his thing. It’s fun to watch.”

Abrams began his night at the plate by swinging at the first pitch he saw from lefty Cade Povich. He went 0-for-4 with a flyout to left field, a strikeout, a lineout to center field and a popout to first base.

“He looked good,” said Martinez. “He lined out to left-center field, which is a good at-bat. As I always say, in certain situations, he’s got to be able to accept his walks. He loves to swing. We want him to swing, but want him also to play the game the right way. Sometimes, you’ve just got to accept your walks.”

To make room on the roster for Abrams’ return, the Nationals optioned infielder Trey Lipscomb to Triple-A Rochester. The goal for Lipscomb’s continued development is to play every infield position with the Red Wings, including reps at first base.

Nasim Nu?ez, who was called up to cover shortstop when Abrams was placed on the IL, remained with the Nats. Nu?ez has made some head-turning plays in the big league level this season, and he stepped in to steal second base as a pinch-runner during a ninth-inning comeback attempt on Thursday.

“For right now, we felt like with CJ having issues, it'd be nice to just keep him here,” Martinez said of Nu?ez. “... I want him to take some ground balls at second, which I know he can do. I also want him to take some ground balls at third as well. But we know how good he is at shortstop.”

The Nationals will look for Abrams to start their offense when they host the league-leading Mets for a four-game home series on Friday.

“He’s really the guy that makes us go,” Martinez said. “He really does. We’ve got some good guys in there, but with him in the lineup, it's different. He stretches our lineup out big time.”