Nationals Reveal Positive Injury Update on Cade Cavalli After He Left Start Early
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On Saturday, Washington Nationals ace Cade Cavalli had that dominant look to him once again.
16 days after the ascending right-hander flirted with a no-hitter during his career-best outing on Aug. 13 against the Chicago Cubs, it appeared like Cavalli was again in pursuit of history. He opened the game by striking out the side, and by the time he got to two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, Cavalli had racked up eight strikeouts with no hits allowed.
Unfortunately, Marlins' utility man Javier Sanoja hit a comebacker that crashed off the right leg of Cavalli. That caused Cavalli to depart his outing in the midst of a no-hitter, which created concern about his health.
Nationals Say Cade Cavalli Is Dealing With Right Calf Discomfort
Thankfully, this doesn't sound like it's going to be a long-term issue.
Following Saturday's game, both Washington and Cavalli downplayed any potential injury. The team coined this as "right calf discomfort" after X-rays came back negative. The right-hander described what he was dealing with as a "charley horse" or a "dead leg," which makes it seem like he won't miss his next start.
"I expect it to be day to day, but also it depends on how he comes in [Sunday]," manager Blake Butera said, per Jessica Camerato of MLB.com.
For what it's worth, Cavalli said he and the team opted to sit him for the remainder of the game out of an abundance of caution. They tried to loosen up the area, but it tightened up again afterwards. Because of that, they didn't want to risk an upper body injury by putting his arm in a compromising position if he started to compensate due to the discomfort he experienced when he was pushing off.
Cavalli is pitching like the top-of-the-rotation starter the Nationals envisioned when they drafted him No. 22 overall in 2020. His second half ERA is 1.83 across nine starts with 67 strikeouts to 14 walks over 54 innings pitched, and his ERA in August was even lower at 1.75 with 47 K's to 10 walks.
Washington previously stated they were not going to shut him down or reduce his workload if he continued to stay healthy. The 152 2/3 innings he's thrown so far this season is easily a career-high in the majors after he only previously threw 53 combined major league frames due to injury. This is also easily the most innings he's ever pitched in a singular campaign, as the 123 1/3 frames he tossed back in 2021 was his previous career-best.
Seeing Cavalli finish this season strong is important for him and the team. And by avoiding what could have been an injury that derailed the finish to his year, he is set to stamp his arrival in The Show in a massive way.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai