Cade Cavalli has been a top pitching prospect in the Washington Nationals organization for many years now. He was well on his way to establishing himself as a fixture in the Nationals rotation before Tommy John surgery cost him his 2023 season. Now, well over a year after his surgery, his rehab is still moving at a snail’s pace.
Cade Cavalli’s Bumpy Rehab
After missing the standard 14 months following Tommy John surgery, Cavalli started his rehab assignment on May 20th. He pitched once in Rookie ball before appearing in High-A Wilmington 10 days later. After this outing, Cavalli’s rehab ground to a halt without explanation. He did not pitch again until June 21st when he threw three scoreless innings for High-A Wilmington. He has not appeared in a game since that outing. The initial explanation from manager Davey Martinez was that he was dealing with illness. However, as the weeks went by, this explanation became suspicious. Cavalli would have to be very sick to be out of action for three weeks.
The suspicions proved to be well-founded, with Martinez revealing that Cavalli was dealing with “dead arm” in addition to his illness. He is going to have to start his rehab process over, and will not be on a big league mound until September. At that point, Cavalli will be 26 years old, which is old for a top prospect with only one MLB start.
Dave Martinez said Cade Cavalli experienced dead arm after his last rehab start for Wilmington on June 21st. Then, he got the flu. That’s why he hasn’t pitched in a while.
They’ll send him back to Florida soon to ramp up again. Sounds like he’ll start with flatgrounds.
— Andrew Golden (@andrewcgolden) July 20, 2024
Cavalli’s Outlook
The clock is ticking for Cavalli, who has yet to establish himself as a major league starter at 26. With Washington having a newfound abundance of arms, Cavalli will not be automatically given a spot in the rotation. The Nationals will also likely look to speed up their rebuild in 2025, which could mean they add a starting pitcher in free agency. With Cavalli’s premium stuff and spotty injury record, a move to the bullpen seems possible. This new injury just adds to the uncertainty.
Nationals’ Lack of Transparency
This Cade Cavalli situation is not the first time the Nationals have not been upfront about a player’s injury situation. Since the Nationals are in a rebuild, fans pay more attention to prospects, and they notice when a top prospect misses time. The Nationals tend to be tight-lipped and don’t go public with injury information until they have to. An example of this was Dylan Crews‘ absence in April. After the mega prospect missed a week without explanation, fans naturally became antsy. After the concerns mounted, it was finally reported that Crews was dealing with a minor hamstring injury. There are plenty of other examples as well, including the Brady House situation in 2022 and the ongoing Robert Hassell saga, where we never know if his hamate is feeling good or not.
Injury Reporting in Baseball
While the Nationals are more tight-lipped than most organizations, most teams are not very transparent with injuries. In 2024, with all the information fans have at their disposal, this is baffling. Unlike some contact sports, there is no reason not to be open and honest about injuries in baseball. This Cavalli situation has provided more questions than answers in an era when fans want answers as quickly as possible.
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