Washington Nationals DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood homered and drove in two runs Saturday in a 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. It marked Wood's fourth home run of the season. Wood is hitting .269 with four home runs, 25 RBI, six stolen bases, and 20 runs scored in 148 plate appearances. The rookie connected off starter Griffin Canning in the second inning. Wood is hitting .360 in his last seven games with two homers, eight RBI, and three stolen bases over that time. Wood will look to continue his hot hitting in the series finale tomorrow afternoon.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (back) will not play Saturday night against the Los Angeles Angels. Abrams is considered day-to-day with back spasms that kept him out of Friday's series opener. Abrams reported that he first felt the issue on Thursday as he sat during a couple of rain delays. The team announced that Abrams will skip the rest of the weekend series to be ready to play in the next series with the Baltimore Orioles. With a scheduled off day on Monday, he will get more time to rest. The young shortstop has been a revelation this season, hitting .249 with 17 home runs, 59 RBI, 20 stolen bases and 68 runs scored for the Nationals. Look for Abrams to be back atop the starting lineup on Tuesday.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (back) is dealing with back spasms, which is why he was scratched from Friday's starting lineup in the series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. While Abrams' injury isn't expected to keep him out long term, fantasy managers will want to check back on Saturday to see if he returns to the starting lineup. Nasim Nunez got the start at the 6 on Friday night in place of Abrams but battled cramps and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in the 3-2, extra-inning win. When he's in the lineup, the 23-year-old Abrams is a must-start in all fantasy lineups for his power/speed profile. The first-time All-Star is in the midst of a breakout campaign in 2024 with a .249/.320/.448 slash line, 17 homers, 59 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 108 games played. However, he's hitting just .165 (13-for-79) with two homers, 11 RBI and 16 K's in 19 games since the All-Star break.

Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams has been scratched from the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. The team hasn't given a reason as to why Abrams was pulled from the contest. The Nats should give more information on the situation soon, so fantasy managers should stay tuned. In his place, Nasim Nunez will fill in at shortstop and bat ninth against right-hander Jose Soriano.

Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. did it all in Thursday's loss versus the San Francisco Giants. Garcia went 2-for-4 in the contest, scoring two runs with a three-run home run and stolen base. Garcia has quietly put together a solid all-around campaign in 2024 as he is now hitting .290 with 14 homers, 56 RBI and 19 stolen bases. The 24-year-old is having a true breakout season as many had written him off entering the year and managers that were wise enough to take a chance on him have been rewarded. Although he hits near the bottom of the order, he is still being productive at second base, where there aren't many options to choose from. Garcia's xwOBA stands at .345 for the season with a strong xBA of .293, suggesting his season has been no fluke and there is no need to sell-high. The second baseman will look to build off his strong effort on Friday versus Jose Soriano and the Los Angeles Angels.