Cade Cavalli's Long-Awaited Success Giving Nationals 'A Great Lift'
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Three years after his Major League debut and five years after he was drafted 22nd overall, Cade Cavalli earned his first career MLB win for the Washington Nationals.
It was a winding journey for the blue-chip talent, going from being ranked No. 1 in the organization's pipeline almost immediately to having an underwhelming debut to rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
But as the Nationals begin their search for players who can fill into the starting rotation behind ace MacKenzie Gore, the right-handed Cavalli is getting his chance to prove why he should not be forgotten when it comes to the future of this franchise.
He was brilliant on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies, throwing seven innings of shutout ball against a potent offensive lineup that secured Washington a guaranteed split of the four-game set where many people expected them to get dominated.
"I'm so proud," interim manager Miguel Cairo said, per Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post (subscription required). "I'm so happy for him. [To rehab] for so long, all the injuries, and to perform against that team like that? It's amazing."
Nationals Feeling Cavalli's Impact
It's no secret that this season has been an abject disaster for the Nationals on the mound, with their team ERA of 5.33 coming into Monday's action ranking 29th, while their starting staff's ERA of 4.99 also ranks 29th.
Only the lowly Colorado Rockies -- who were once on pace to set the all-time MLB record for most losses in a singular campaign -- rank below them in both categories, which is not the company any team wants to keep.
Cavalli could solve a lot of those issues if he continues to perform in this manner now that he's back from his extended elbow surgery recovery, and his teammates have already felt a lift from having him in the mix.
"Him putting up seven shutout is a great lift," star slugger James Wood said. "So we're just all happy to have him here and just seeing him be himself, up here and healthy."
the important thing is that he remained calm pic.twitter.com/bbsh62IlhK
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 16, 2025
That performance on Saturday was easily the best of his short career at the big league level, with his first start since returning from his injury being a shutout across 4 1/3 innings before he was tagged for four runs across five innings in his second.
It will be interesting to see if Cavalli ever returns to the high-strikeout guy he was in the minors where he produced over a K per inning. In his three starts in the bigs this year, he has 14 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings pitched, giving up an opposing batting average of .266.
It's still early in his comeback, so it's not wise to make any definitive statements about what he can or can't become. But that will be something to keep an eye on for the rest of the season since that will be an indication of what his ceiling could be at this point of his career going forward.
