Cavalli was diagnosed Thursday with a Grade 3 sprain of his right ulnar collateral ligament and will require Tommy John surgery, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Cavalli injured his elbow during his most recent Grapefruit League outing and an MRI revealed the bad news. The top prospect had been set to open the 2023 campaign in the Nationals' rotation but now figures to be sidelined until around midseason next year. Chad Kuhl appears likely to slide into the rotation spot vacated by Cavalli.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: MRI coming up
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Cavalli is scheduled to undergo an MRI on his right elbow Wednesday, Andrew Golden of the Washington Post reports.
This comes after Cavalli felt discomfort in the back of his elbow in the third inning of a Grapefruit League start Tuesday afternoon against the Mets. It's a concerning situation for the 24-year-old right-hander, who ranks as a consensus top-100 prospect and might have been in line to open the 2023 season as the No. 5 starter for the Nationals. Even if the MRI shows no structural damage, Cavalli figures to be looking at a lengthy absence from live competition.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Leaves start with apparent injury
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Cavalli was removed from Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Mets with an apparent injury, Andrew Golden of the Washington Post reports.
Cavalli shook his right arm in discomfort after delivering a 1-1 pitch to Brandon Nimmo in the bottom of the third inning. He then departed following a short chat with Nationals manager Dave Martinez and head trainer Paul Lessard. The 24-year-old had been in the running for the final spot in Washington's season-opening starting rotation but now may be facing an extended absence.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Shines against Team Israel
Rotowire
Cavalli gave up one run on three hits and a walk over three innings while striking out six during Thursday's exhibition against Team Israel.
The young right-hander was making his first start of the spring after two relief appearances in Grapefruit League action, but Cavalli has looked good in any role, posting a composite 12:2 BB:K across six innings. He's ticketed for a spot in the Nationals' Opening day rotation, and while Cavalli's big-league debut last year ended quickly due to shoulder trouble, he has the arm talent to be a fantasy asset in his rookie campaign if he can stay healthy.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Whiffs five in spring outing
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Cavalli gave up a run on two hits and a walk over two innings while striking out five in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals.
Entering the game in the third inning, Cavalli served up a solo shot to Jordan Walker but was otherwise dominant against a St. Louis lineup that was missing big bats like Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. The 24-year-old right-hander was limited to 101.1 innings last year while dealing with shoulder issues, but Cavalli is healthy to begin camp and has a 6:1 K:BB through his first three spring frames. The Nationals are counting on their top pitching prospect to seize a rotation spot in 2023, a decision he will make a lot easier if he keeps racking up strikeouts.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Faces live batters
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Cavalli (shoulder) threw a session of live batting practice Sunday.
Cavalli was shut down in mid-September due to shoulder discomfort but appears to be at full strength for the start of spring training. The 24-year-old is one of the Nationals' top prospects, but manager Dave Martinez recently said the right-hander isn't guaranteed a spot in the Opening Day rotation.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Not assured of rotation spot
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Nationals manager Dave Martinez noted Wednesday that Cavalli (shoulder) is not guaranteed to make the Opening Day rotation, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
"There's nothing really set in stone," said Martinez. "Everything's wide open." Cavalli is the team's top pitching prospect, but he has struggled with command issues in the minor leagues and got lit up by the lowly Reds in his MLB debut last summer. He then went down with a shoulder injury, though that doesn't seem to be a lingering issue. Martinez wants to see the 24-year-old right-hander "pound the strike zone" on a consistent basis this spring.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Expected to open year in rotation
Rotowire
Cavalli (shoulder) is penciled into an Opening Day rotation role, Kyle Glaser of Baseball America reports.
The 2020 first-round pick made his big-league debut in late August but was knocked around in his lone start before missing the rest of the year with shoulder inflammation. He was able to resume throwing before the end of the season, and the Nationals are seemingly confident in both his health and his ability heading into next season. A secure rotation spot boosts Cavalli's appeal as a fantasy lottery ticket, and he has a fair amount of prospect pedigree, but he'll have to sort out his control before becoming an effective starter. He walked 10.7 percent of the batters he faced across 44 career starts in the minors.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Returns to throwing
Rotowire
Cavalli (shoulder) played catch from 60 feet Friday and said he felt no pain, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
The 24-year-old was shut down with shoulder discomfort in mid-September and received a cortisone injection, but he's now resumed a throwing program. Cavalli obviously won't return during the final week of the season but is on track to be healthy for spring training in February, when he'll compete for a spot in Washington's 2023 rotation.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Shut down with shoulder discomfort
Rotowire
Cavalli experienced shoulder discomfort when throwing Wednesday and will be shut down from throwing for 3-7 days as a precaution, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.
He resumed a throwing program Wednesday and quickly re-aggravated his shoulder injury, after which Cavalli received a cortisone shot, per Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports. The right-hander won't return to game action this season, but he will compete for a rotation spot next year in spring training if he is healthy.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Throwing, but likely done for 2022
Rotowire
Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday that Cavalli (shoulder) has been cleared to resume a throwing program but isn't expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list before season's end, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Cavalli is scheduled to play catch Wednesday and is expected to gradually stretch out his throwing distance off flat ground over the next couple of weeks. If his right shoulder provides no complications while he takes part in long-toss sessions, Cavalli should get back on a mound by the end of September or the first week of October, but he likely won't have enough time to get his arm in condition for pitching in games. Cavalli should still be on tap for a normal offseason, and the 24-year-old righty will likely get every opportunity to stake his claim to a spot in the big-league rotation during spring training.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Goes on IL
Rotowire
The Nationals placed Cavalli (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday.
The rookie's move to the IL was fully expected after manager Dave Martinez said Tuesday that Cavalli was diagnosed with inflammation in his right shoulder after experiencing discomfort while playing catch a few days ago. Cavalli will be shut down from throwing for at least the next two weeks, and if he fails to show much meaningful improvement during the idle period, his 2022 season could be over. Even if Cavalli is able to start ramping up again by mid-September, he likely won't have enough time to get stretched back out for a starting role and could end up pitching out of the Washington bullpen.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Sidelined with inflamed shoulder
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Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Tuesday that Cavalli is headed to the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Washington may wait until Wednesday before making the transaction official, but Martinez said that Cavalli will be shut down from throwing for at least two weeks after experiencing discomfort in his shoulder while playing catch following his MLB debut Saturday against the Reds. Though the skipper wasn't willing to admit that Cavalli's season is over since an MRI revealed no damage to his rotator cuff or labrum, the rookie right-hander's impending two-week shutdown means he's unlikely to have enough time to build back up for a starting role if he does make it back from the IL in late September or early October. The Nationals haven't announced a replacement in the rotation for Cavalli, but Cory Abbott was scratched from his scheduled start at Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday and seems likely to join the big club when Cavalli's next turn comes up Thursday against the Athletics, per Dougherty.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Staying in rotation
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Cavalli is scheduled to make his next start Thursday versus the Athletics in Washington, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Despite being roughed up for seven earned runs over 4.1 innings in his MLB debut Friday against the Reds, Cavalli will get another chance to right the ship as he aims to gain a foothold in Washington's rotation heading into 2023. The home matchup with the lowly Athletics represents a good bounce-back opportunity for Cavalli, who at least showed some positive signs in his debut in the form of his six strikeouts.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Shows nerves in MLB debut
Rotowire
Cavalli (0-1) took the loss Friday as the Nationals were downed 7-3 by the Reds, coughing up seven runs on six hits, two walks and three hit batsmen over 4.1 innings. He struck out six.
Making his big-league debut, Cavalli flashed his potential with the Ks, but the 24-year-old also showed his nervousness as his control and command wavered badly. He threw 57 of 99 pitches for strikes before exiting, and while this wasn't an ideal way to begin a career, the rebuilding Nats will likely keep Cavalli around and let their top pitching prospect get acclimated to the majors over the next handful of weeks.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Contract selected for MLB debut
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Cavalli had his contract selected from Triple-A Rochester ahead of his start against the Reds on Friday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
The 24-year-old was previously announced as Friday's starter for Washington, and he's now officially on the big-league roster. Cavalli has a 3.71 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 104:39 K:BB across 97 innings at Triple-A this season, and he has a favorable matchup for his MLB debut against a below-average Reds offense.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: MLB debut coming Friday
Rotowire
The Nationals plan to call up Cavalli from Triple-A Rochester to have him make his MLB debut in Friday's home game against the Reds, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Washington hasn't given fans much to rejoice about in the midst of a 41-83 season, but the impending promotion of Cavalli is at least one reason for excitement. The 2020 first-round pick owns a 3.71 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 20 starts at Rochester this season and has perhaps been the International League's most dominant starter since the beginning of July. Over his final seven outings for Rochester spanning 36.2 innings, Cavalli generated a 1.47 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 43:12 K:BB. Pitching behind a weak offense at a hitter-friendly home park is less than ideal for Cavalli as he heads to the majors, but the potential help he could offer in the ratio categories is enough to make him an interesting speculative pickup in most fantasy leagues.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Nearing MLB debut
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Cavalli is trending toward making his MLB debut this season, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
One of the top pitching prospects in the game, Cavalli is currently listed as Triple-A Rochester's starting pitcher Saturday in Indianapolis, but Blanco reports the sense is that Cavalli is getting close to making his MLB debut. The 6-foot-4 righty got off to a shaky start to the season, but he has a 2.10 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 77:25 K:BB in 68.2 innings over his last 13 starts.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Dominant outing Saturday
Rotowire
Cavalli struck out a season-high 11 batters over seven innings Saturday for Triple-A Rochester in a win over Norfolk. He gave up only one run on three hits and two walks.
The 24-year-old right-hander has had a roller coaster season, but Cavalli looked like a future big-league ace Saturday, tossing 64 of 96 pitches for strikes and fanning the side in three different innings. Since the beginning of July, Cavalli has a 1.42 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 35:9 K:BB through 31.2 innings over six starts, and he appears to be back on track to make a significant push for a rotation spot in Washington to begin the 2023 campaign.
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Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Impressive in return to mound
Rotowire
Cavalli tossed five scoreless innings Wednesday against Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in his return to the mound from a finger injury. He allowed three hits and three walks while striking out three.
The right-hander wasn't dominant, but it was still a strong outing in his return from what was described by the Nationals as a "blister-like issue." Cavalli hasn't given up an earned run across three July starts for Triple-A Rochester, posting a 16:3 K:BB through 15.2 innings as he looks to regain some of the luster on his prospect status after a bumpy beginning to 2022. On the season, the 23-year-old carries a lackluster 4.03 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, but over his last eight starts dating back to May 28, Cavalli boasts a 1.90 ERA and 0.96 WHIP.
