Injured Washington National Pitcher Running Short on Time to Pitch This Year

The Washington Nationals are still hopeful that a pitcher who has been out since June can pitch this season.

Mar 14, 2023; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Cade Cavalli (54) walks onto the field prior to a game against the New York Mets at Clover Park. / Rich Storry-Imagn Images

Cade Cavalli threw a bullpen session for the Washington Nationals earlier this week, but the injured pitcher is no closer to throwing in a game.

And, he might not get a chance the rest of the season.

Cavalli’s bullpen at loanDepot park in Miami lasted 20 pitches, and it was his first since he was shut down on June 21 after he had dead arm after a rehab start in his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

Per MLB.com, Cavalli’s bullpen was all fastballs, with the top pitch reaching 93 miles per hour.

A Top 30 prospect, the Nationals want him to face hitters of some kind before the season ends. That could be a live batting practice or a minor league game. But that’s the threshold they hope he can reach.

Minor league seasons wrap up in a couple of weeks and the Major League season ends Sept. 29.

"Hopefully we get him to that point," manager Dave Martinez said. "If we don't, we still have, you know, months to progress him and get him ready for Spring Training."

Spring training might be a more realistic possibility for the No. 8 prospect, who has not pitched in a Major League game since his debut in 2022.

Cavalli, a 26-year-old right-hander, was Washington’s first-round pick in 2020 out of Oklahoma, one of the top college programs in the country.

The Tulsa, Okla., native worked his way through their system in 2021 and 2022 before he was promoted by the Nationals to make his Major League debut on Aug. 26, 2022.

He made one start, taking the loss, as he went 4.1 innings and gave up seven runs and six hits. He struck out six and walked two.

The trouble began right after his outing, as he was put on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation.

Cavalli reported to Spring Training in 2023 in line for a potential spot in Washington’s rotation, but he suffered an arm injury that put him on the 60-day injured list to start the season and led to Tommy John surgery, which wiped out the entire year.

He started this season on the 60-day injured list and began a rehab assignment on May 20 with the Florida Complex League Nationals, followed by a promotion to the Wilmington Blue Rocks.

In three starts in this season he didn’t figure in a decision and had a 2.16 ERA. He struck out 13 and walked five in 8.1 innings.