Washington Nationals Boss Says Young Pitcher Won’t Throw in Spring Games

The Washington Nationals got their Grapefruit League schedule started on Saturday afternoon against the Houston Astros, picking up a 6-3 win.

Their games are going to some importance as a few spots on the Major League roster for Opening Day are still up for grabs.

A lot of people are going to be keeping an eye on third base, where a starter has not yet emerged. The battle for the fourth outfield and backup catcher spot will also be hotly contested in the coming weeks.

On the mound, there is going to be a battle for the starting rotation and a few of the players who miss out as a starter could end up being a reliever out of the gate with the bullpen needing a few more arms.

However, one of the pitchers who won’t be competing for a spot during spring training games is former top prospect Cade Cavalli.

A first-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, he is almost two years removed from Tommy John surgery, which has derailed the early part of his professional career.

It has been encouraging to see the progress he has made, as Cavalli has already had three bullpen sessions this spring.

Alas, that is the most work he is going to have leading up to the 2025 regular season getting underway, as manager Dave Martinez confirmed recently that his young pitcher will not be participating in any games this spring.

Because of how long he has been sidelined with the injury, Cavalli is going to have an incredibly strict innings limit this upcoming campaign. The Nationals would prefer to slow play things, ensuring that he will be able to make it to the end of the season instead of burning out early on.

“The whole thing is to get him to finish the season with us,” Dave Martinez said, via Mark Zuckerman of MASN. “He’s going to be limited in innings, but we want him to finish the season so he can have a regular offseason and then following that, he’s ready to go. No restrictions next year.”

Cavalli made one appearance at the Major League level on Aug. 26, 2022 against the Cincnnati Reds. He pitched 4.1 innings, giving up seven earned runs on six hits and two walks with six strikeouts.

Prior to that, he was a consensus top 100 prospect for multiple years and found a good amount of success in the minor leagues.

Across 228.2 innings, Cavalli registered a 3.46 ERA with a 1.207 WHIP and 292 strikeouts.

Washington would love to see him return to that form, but they know it will take some time to build himself back up.

With so many other options to be in the Major League rotation, Cavalli is likely ticketed for a spot in Triple-A, where he will have to prove he can stay healthy before locking down a spot on the Big League roster.

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