This story was excerpted from Jessica Camerato's Nationals Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Manager Dave Martinez has told rookie shortstop CJ Abrams he isn’t looking for him to make “spectacular plays” as long as routine plays are executed.

The thing is, the 21-year-old has been making those routine plays look spectacular.

“He just makes all plays look really good right now,” Martinez said.

In his short time with the Nationals since being acquired from the Padres at the Trade Deadline, Abrams already has achieved a feat only two Nats players previously had earned: he was recognized for his defensive excellence with Major League Baseball’s Electric Play of the Week. Abrams joined Anthony Rendon (May 2019) and Victor Robles (June ‘19, Aug. ‘20) as Nationals recipients since the award began in ‘19.

On Friday at Citizens Bank Park, Abrams made a diving stop to his right against Alec Bohm. He quickly bounced up to fire off a one-hop throw to nab Bohm at first base. It was one of the many improbable defensive efforts Abrams has proved was possible.

“I’m watching him make plays I haven’t seen made in quite a while,” Martinez said. “With that being said, there’s still some room for growth.”

Abrams’ big league potential has been highly touted since he was drafted sixth overall by the Padres in 2019. He had appeared in 46 games with San Diego before he was traded Aug. 2, and Washington mapped out a plan for progress in the remaining two months of the season.

“One of the things is taking his at-bats to the field,” Martinez said. “It’s a little thing, but it does prevent problems when you’re taking your at-bats to the field. We talked to him about [how] it’s two separate things: ‘When you’re on defense, we try to prevent guys from getting hits, and I want you to be the best at that. Then, on offense, forget about your defense. Go out there, just try to see the ball and hit it.’

“We talked a lot about just making sure that his first step is on point -- it’s really good. We don’t want him to ever lag on that. He’s ready every pitch; we watch him all the time. When he’s not, Disar [third-base coach Gary DiSarcina] is on him about it. And he’s done really well with that.”

The numbers tell the story of Abrams’ impact following his pairing with Luis García (who shifted from shortstop to second base) in a new-look middle infield. Entering Tuesday, the Nats had the seventh-lowest opponents’ batting average (.219) on ground balls since Abrams’ first game with Washington on Aug. 15. In contrast, they ranked 30th in the Majors with a .282 opponents' average on grounders from Opening Day through Aug. 14.

“We’re going to continue to work with him,” Martinez said. “We don’t want to nitpick things. We want him to have fun. But these are the things that we’re looking at to make him better and make him that guy that when the ball’s hit to you, he’s prepared and he’s ready every time.”