The Nationals reinstated Cavalli (elbow) from the 15-day injured list Sunday and optioned him to Triple-A Rochester.
After making his MLB debut with the Nationals in 2022, Cavalli had been limited to just 8.1 minor-league innings over the past two seasons while recovering from March 2023 Tommy John surgery. He reported healthy to spring training but was brought along slowly before being cleared to begin a rehab assignment April 19. Cavalli will stick around with Rochester and should continue to make regular turns through the rotation. He's expected to get another look in the big leagues later this season.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Back on mound Friday
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Cavalli (elbow) will get the start for Triple-A Rochester on Friday, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
Cavalli exited his last start April 29 due to fatigue and skipped his next turn, but he was never completely shut down from throwing and has been cleared to resume his rehab assignment. Coming back from Tommy John surgery, Cavalli has allowed three runs with a 9:4 K:BB across 11 innings in three rehab outings. The Nationals said at the start of spring training that they didn't expect Cavalli to be an option for their rotation until the second half of the season, so the righty will likely be optioned to Rochester once his rehab stint is over.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Skipping next rehab start
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Cavalli (elbow) will skip his next rehab start with Triple-A Rochester after exiting his last outing Tuesday with fatigue, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Cavalli will throw a pair of bullpen sessions in between starts instead, and the Nationals are not viewing this as a significant setback. Coming back from Tommy John surgery, Cavalli has allowed three runs with a 9:4 K:BB across 11 innings covering three rehab starts.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Exits rehab start with fatigue
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Nationals president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo said Wednesday that Cavalli (elbow) was pulled from his rehab start with Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday due to fatigue, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Rizzo did not seem overly concerned, noting that Cavalli was touching 98 miles per hour with his fastball during the outing. The right-hander allowed three runs over two innings in the start, throwing 37 pitches. It's not clear whether Cavalli -- who is coming back from March 2023 Tommy John surgery -- will be ready for his next rehab start or will need to be pushed back in the pitching schedule.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Strong rehab outing
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Cavalli (elbow) threw five shutout innings while allowing two hits and one walk with four strikeouts across five innings with Double-A Harrisburg on Thursday, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
Cavalli has had a long recovery from Tommy John surgery, which included some time dealing with a dead arm last summer, but he has looked good through two rehab outings. He ramped up to 69 pitches Thursday, 43 of which went for strikes. Cavalli will likely remain on the injured list until mid-May but will continue to build up in the minors.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Moves rehab to Double-A
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Cavalli (elbow) will make his next rehab start Thursday with Double-A Harrisburg, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
Cavalli will get a tougher test for his second outing in the minors after he reported to Single-A Fredericksburg for the beginning of his rehab assignment and struck out three batters over four scoreless innings during his lone outing with the affiliate last Saturday. The right-hander was out for most of the previous two seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery and also missed time last summer while going through a "dead arm" phase, so the Nationals will likely keep him on his rehab assignment for the entire 30-day window. Washington doesn't appear to have a rotation spot available for Cavalli at the big-league level, so the 26-year-old will likely be optioned to Triple-A Rochester once he's activated from the 15-day injured list.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Could be month away from return
Rotowire
Cavalli (elbow) worked up to 35 pitches in a simulated game last Tuesday, and the Nationals will have him go through a normal spring training progression over the next month before determining whether he's ready to come off the injured list, Bobby Blanco of MASN Sports reports.
"We don't want to rush things and get back to the point where we're hurting. So it's just going to be a really good build up," Cavalli said Friday while visiting the team's clubhouse during a series in Miami. "Hopefully, everything keeps responding how it is. I know they have a great plan. The staff is unbelievable and they have it set up to where I can get back fully healthy, ready to go help the club." Cavalli hasn't pitched in the majors since 2022 due to Tommy John surgery performed in March 2023, but the Nats are hoping the 26-year-old right-hander can be a factor in the big-league rotation at some point in the second half this season.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Makes rehab start
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Cavalli (elbow) threw two innings in a Florida Complex League game Wednesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Per Nationals manager Dave Roberts, Cavalli was sitting in the 94-to-97 mph range with his fastball in what was his first rehab appearance of the season. Cavalli is nearly two years removed from Tommy John surgery, having been delayed last year as he went through a "dead arm" phase. The Nationals will manage the righty's workload in the first half, with the goal of having him join the rotation at some point after the All-Star break.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Placed on injured list
Rotowire
The Nationals placed Cavalli (elbow) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, retroactive to March 24.
The right-hander is nearing the final stages of his rehab from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in May 2023, with a period of "dead arm" last summer delaying his return. Cavalli's last significant action came at Triple-A Rochester in 2022, when he had a 3.71 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 104:39 K:BB across 97 innings.
Cavalli (elbow) is scheduled to throw against live hitters Thursday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Thursday will mark the first time Cavalli has faced hitters this spring. The 26-year-old righty is already slated to begin the season on the injured list as he finishes up his rehab from the Tommy John procedure he underwent two years ago, though it may not be long before he returns to a competitive setting if he gets through a few more live sessions with no setbacks.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Headed for IL to begin season
Rotowire
Cavalli (elbow) is expected to start the season on the injured list, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Cavalli is considered healthy this spring after being limited to just 8.1 innings over the last two seasons following March 2023 Tommy John surgery. However, he has not made any Grapefruit League appearances and the Nationals plan to manage his workload in the first half of the season. Cavalli could be a factor with the big club after the All-Star break, but the club will bring him along slowly.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Could be factor in second half
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Cavalli will have his workload managed in the early part of the season, with the goal being to have him in the big-league rotation later in the year, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
The 26-year-old right-hander has pitched just 8.1 innings over the last two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2023, but Cavalli is healthy to begin spring training and threw a bullpen session Thursday. "When you see him throw and he's healthy and in the right frame of mind and the right shape, the sky's the limit for that guy," general manager Mike Rizzo said Thursday. "His first bullpen today was terrific, and we're just going to take it slow with him. But to have him healthy and pitching like he's capable of is exciting to me." A first-round pick in 2020, Cavalli displayed his upside in 2022 when he posted a 3.71 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 104:39 K:BB over 97 Triple-A innings, and he's expected to get a chance to regain that form with Triple-A Rochester to begin the current campaign before the Nats give him another crack at big-league hitters.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Deemed healthy for spring
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Manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday that Cavalli (elbow) is healthy, but the Nationals plan to manage the right-hander's workload this season, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports. "He had a good winter," Martinez said of Cavalli. "He looks great. We know he's going to be limited in how many innings he pitches this year, so we want to make sure when he does get out there, we do have him the whole season."
After undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2023, Cavalli missed that entire season and was limited to just three minor-league rehab appearances in 2024, with none coming after June. He came down with a bout of the flu and then dealt with a dead-arm phase for a large chunk of the second half of last season, but he was at least able to ramp his throwing back up in September. Cavalli seems to have emerged from his offseason throwing program free of setbacks, so he should be facing relatively few restrictions this spring, aside from the Nationals managing how many live innings he throws. Martinez left the door open for Cavalli to compete for a roster spot with the big club, but given the extended time he missed in addition to his limited MLB experience (he made one start for the Nationals in 2022), the 26-year-old is likely to begin the season at Triple-A Rochester.
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Not returning this season
Rotowire
Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Tuesday that Cavalli (elbow) will continue to work through his throwing program but won't pitch in games before the end of the season, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
The right-hander began the season on the injured list while completing his recovery from Tommy John Surgery in May 2023, but a "dead arm" phase over the summer derailed his rehab assignment. Cavalli will continue to build up his arm over the final weeks of the regular season, but he'll head into 2025 with plenty of uncertainty coming off consecutive lost seasons.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Throwing bullpen session
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Cavalli (elbow/arm) will throw a 20-to-25 pitch bullpen session Tuesday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
The bullpen session -- which will feature all fastballs -- will be his first time throwing off a mound since he had to be pulled off his rehab assignment in mid-July due to a "dead arm" phase. Cavalli had made three rehab starts in the lower minors as he works his way back from May 2023 Tommy John surgery. It's going to take a while for him to get ramped back up, and it's not clear whether the 26-year-old will have a shot to make it back before the end of the season.
Cavalli (elbow) reported to the Nationals' Florida Complex League affiliate Tuesday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Cavalli was sent to resume his minor-league rehab assignment at High-A Wilmington on July 26 but never appeared in a game for the team. Now, he'll join the Nationals' FCL affiliate. Manager Dave Martinez said that Cavalli will be ramping up his arm in Florida with the hopes of returning to a mound before the end of the season. It's unclear what resulted in the multi-week setback for Cavalli, who was already behind schedule after an illness forced him to halt his rehab assignment in late June. Cavalli shouldn't be expected back for several weeks.
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