Cavalli will appeal the seven-game suspension he received Thursday and will be eligible to pitch for the Nationals until the appeal process is completed, Evan Drellich of The Athletic reports.
Major League Baseball issued bans for Cavalli and teammate Miles Mikolas (five games), as well as Red Sox players Willson Contreras (seven games) and Nate Eaton (three games) for their roles in a benches-clearing incident that occurred Tuesday. Cavalli's suspension was set to begin with Friday's game against the Pirates had he accepted the seven-game ban, but the 27-year-old will remain active while the appeal process is ongoing. Cavalli will tentatively line up for a two-start week to close out the Nationals' first-half schedule, with the right-hander expected to face the Astros on Monday before taking the hill the following Sunday against the Yankees in the last game prior to the All-Star break.