The Washington Nationals are calling up top prospect C.J. Abrams, one of the main returns in the Juan Soto trade, the team announced on Monday.
Abrams, a 21-year-old shortstop, debuted with the San Diego Padres this year. Infielder Luis García was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left groin strain to make room on the roster. Garcia's move is retroactive to Saturday.
Abrams is the No. 1 prospect in Washington's farm system and was ranked No. 4 in the league in ESPN's Kiley McDaniel's most recent prospect rankings.
In eight games with Triple-A Rochester since the trade, Abrams is hitting .290 with two RBIs in 35 plate appearances. Overall, he's hitting .314 with seven homers and 28 RBIs in Triple-A this season.
He hit .232 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in 139 major league plate appearances this season when he appeared in 46 games for the Padres.
The Nationals acquired Abrams along with left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore, outfielders Robert Hassell III and James Wood, right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana and first baseman/designated hitter Luke Voit this month in the blockbuster trade that sent Soto and first baseman Josh Bell to the Padres.
Abrams (2019), Gore (2017) and Hassell (2020) are all former first-round draft picks.
Garcia , 22, was batting .289 with 13 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 25 RBIs in 60 games for the Nationals this season. Manager Dave Martinez said Garcia will move to second base when he returns from the IL and pair with shortstop Abrams.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.