NEW YORK — The Washington Nationals are moving CJ Abrams to second base in the coming days. Top-100 shortstop prospect Seaver King is having a breakout season in Triple-A Rochester. So let’s get this out of the way: Those developments are notable, but are not explicitly related.
The Nationals are reluctant to rush King up to the majors, according to people familiar with the team’s thinking who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning. King, in their eyes, can still benefit from more at-bats and defensive reps in Triple A. Additionally, Nationals officials are interested to see whether Abrams and Nasim Nuñez, the team’s new primary shortstop, can thrive in flipped roles up the middle.
King’s performance with Triple-A Rochester, though, invites curiosity about what comes next and could force the issue, given the 23-year-old’s breakout season, the team’s thinning postseason odds and the organization’s desire for clarity regarding their infield unit of the future.
King entered Saturday’s game hitting .296 with an .854 OPS across 45 games in Triple A. Nuñez offers more defensive upside and stability at the position in 2026, but is hitting .228 with a .578 OPS in 408 plate appearances in the majors this season. Finding the balance between preserving clubhouse culture and throwing future pieces into the fire remains complicated, even as the team dropped to 60-65 following Saturday’s 5-4 walk-off loss to the New York Mets.
The organization, in theory, could keep King in Rochester for the rest of the season. More reps in Triple A could help him continue to work on his plate discipline. Nuñez’s stellar play at shortstop could offer more value to the team in each of the next two seasons. Additionally, the optics of moving an All-Star off of his primary position — then having a rookie take his spot — could have awkward consequences, especially if the Nats then moved King off of the position for another shortstop in the coming years given the bountiful depth behind him in the minor leagues.
The argument for promoting King before the end of the season has some merit, too. It could allow one of the team’s top prospects to gain valuable at-bats and reps, and clarify for the front office whether King is ready to assume a significant role when the team looks more equipped to make a run in 2027. It could also allow King to get familiar with coaches and teammates who have a lot invested in his future. And there is an argument that he has flat-out earned it.
Several evaluators who spoke to The Athletic earlier this year said King could have a future at shortstop, but wondered whether he could make the necessary defensive strides quickly. Similar to Abrams, the young shortstop had shown a knack for exceptional, highlight-reel plays while struggling with consistency.
He has appeared to make those strides.
Throughout the 2025 campaign and early on in 2026, King had some trouble with routine plays. When the organization looked over film of his miscues in the field, they often saw two consistent traits: His arm slot was too high, and his footwork rarely took his momentum towards first base.
The team has taught him to throw from a lower slot and cleaned up his footwork so that his momentum takes him toward first base as he throws. And while errors are an imperfect measure of defensive quality, they can serve as an indicator of growth here: After committing 10 errors in 300 innings at Double-A Harrisburg, King has just three errors in 391 innings at Triple-A Rochester (and just one since his first week at the affiliate).
Then, of course, there are what the organization calls “separator plays,” or plays that most players are not expected to make.
“They’re the ‘wow’ plays — but for him, they’re easy because the reactions and athleticism are so good,” farm director Devin Pearson said. “He can make those plays, not really have to think and get the guy out. It’s the plays where he has the time that we’ve been working on, and he’s gotten better.”
The last step, then, is just how bullish the organization is on King’s offensive growth. The 23-year-old hit .244 with a .631 OPS across multiple levels in 2025 as he received inconsistent instruction and failed to consistently hit the ball hard and in the air. He also chased 38 percent of pitches outside of the zone last year. With help from within, advice from top prospect Kevin McGonigle in the Arizona Fall League and a return to his collegiate swing and approach, King thrived in his early-season stint with Double-A Harrisburg.
A hiccup after his promotion to Rochester complicated matters. King had a 38.9 percent chase rate before going on the injured list with a left oblique strain in early July. Since returning at the end of the month, he’s chased just 32.1 percent of pitches outside of the zone. But that’s a relatively small sample. And so, again, the organization might choose to exercise patience here.
