Ildemaro Vargas idle Thursday for Nationals

Washington Nationals infielder Ildemaro Vargas is not in the starting lineup for Thursday afternoon's series finale against right-hander Adam Wainwright and the St. Louis Cardinals.

What It Means:

Vargas will take a rare breather after starting the past 26 games. C.J. Abrams will replace Vargas at shortstop and hit eighth while Cesar Hernandez makes another start on third base.

Abrams has a $2,100 salary on Thursday and numberFire’s models project him for 7.2 FanDuel points. Hernandez has a $2,300 salary and is projected for 7.1 FanDuel points. Per our MLB Heat Map, the Nationals have the lowest implied total (2.97) in the majors today.