Abrams gets night off, García stays at second base

ST LOUIS – There’s a line of thinking that the last kind of players who need days off are young players. Certainly, their bodies aren’t in need of regular rest.

There’s more than one reason for a day off, though. And for some young players, a mental day off can be more important than a physical one.

That’s why Davey Martinez has CJ Abrams sitting tonight, just as he did six days earlier. The Nationals rookie shortstop is fine physically, but his manager believes he would benefit from a quick break to clear his mind and focus on working on some fundamentals without the pressure of having a game to play as well.

“We’re asking him to do a lot,” Martinez said. “Even between the games, he’s getting a lot of work in. My thought is: We’ve got a day game tomorrow, give him a break today. We’ve got another lefty today (in Cardinals starter Jordan Montgomery). Just giving him a little breather, and we’ll get him back out there tomorrow. …

“He’s doing great. For me, it’s just part of the process with him.”

After a slow start to his Nationals tenure last month, Abrams had begun to make some significant strides at the plate in recent days. During the team’s three-game winning streak, he went 7-for-13 with his first career triple, capped by Monday’s four-hit game in a win over the Cardinals.

Abrams is far from a finished product, though. He continues to work on refining his swing with hitting coach Darnell Coles, and on smoothing out his defensive game with infield coach Gary DiSarcina. A day off like this provides an opportunity to keep doing that without having to prepare mentally for a major league game.

“This is why I look at the schedule ahead of time, and pick a day where maybe we can give him a little breather,” Martinez said. “He’s working really hard in between the games. He’s working with Darnell on his hitting and working on his infield with DiSar and working on other stuff in the weight room to get himself stronger. We want him to go home this winter with a plan of what he needs to do to get better, and what he needs to do to get stronger. This is part of it.”

It’s not always easy to convince a rookie he can benefit from days off, though.

“He doesn’t like sitting,” Martinez acknowledged. “As we all know, these kids all want to play. But I told him: ‘We’re going to make sure we take care of you. It’s not necessarily a day off. You’re going to get some work. You’re going to be ready if we do need to play you. But I do want to give you a little mental break.’”

With Abrams sitting tonight, Ildemaro Vargas slides over from third base to start at shortstop, with César Hernández inserted into the lineup as the starting third baseman. Luis García, who had been the Nationals’ everyday shortstop for more than two months, remains at second base. And Martinez said that will remain the case for García.

“He’s definitely our second baseman,” the manager said. “When we got CJ, I talked to him about that. He’s going to play second base every day, and he’s all for it. I’m not going to move him around anymore. He’s our second baseman.”