Cavalli did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Rays, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks with one strikeout over 2.2 innings.
Cavalli had his start pushed back due to an illness Friday and struggled out of the gate, loading the bases in each of the first three innings and failing to escape the third in his shortest outing since April 13. The 27-year-old's velocity was slightly down on his three most-used offerings, so perhaps he was still feeling less than 100 percent. He owns a 4.07 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 82:28 K:BB across 77.1 innings this season and will try to rebound in a home matchup against the Phillies next week.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Scratched Friday
Rotowire
Cavalli was scratched from his scheduled start against the Rays on Friday due to an illness.
Cavalli was penciled in to start Friday's series opener but instead won't be available due to food poisoning, per Andrew Golden of TheBanner.com. The Nationals are hopeful Cavalli will be ready to start Saturday. PJ Poulin will start in Cavalli's place with Miles Mikolas set to follow in the bulk role.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Strikes out five in fourth win
Rotowire
Cavalli (4-4) notched the win Saturday against the Mariners, allowing three runs on four hits and no walks in five innings. He struck out five.
Cavalli cruised through four scoreless innings but stumbled in the fifth, when Seattle tagged him for three runs. The 27-year-old right-hander has now fired at least five frames in seven straight starts, and he's given up more than three runs just twice all season. Cavalli will carry a decent 3.98 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 81:25 K:BB across 74.2 innings into his next scheduled start in Tampa Bay.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Takes fourth loss Sunday
Rotowire
Cavalli (3-4) took the loss Sunday against Arizona, surrendering four runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out two across five innings.
Cavalli was undone by the long ball Sunday, serving up homers to Corbin Carroll in the first inning and Gabriel Moreno in the fifth that accounted for a majority of the damage. More concerning for fantasy managers was the lack of swing-and-miss stuff, as he managed just two strikeouts across five innings after entering Sunday with 74 punchouts across 64.2 innings. Cavalli now owns a 3.88 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 76:25 K:BB across 69.2 innings and is scheduled to face Seattle in his next start.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Fans six in no-decision
Rotowire
Cavalli didn't factor into the decision Monday against the Marlins after allowing two runs on five hits and three walks across five innings. He struck out six.
Cavalli was at 89 pitches after the first five innings, and while he ended just three outs shy of a quality start, he still delivered a solid outing. This was his third straight outing in which Cavalli gave up two or fewer earned runs, and he also has three quality starts over his last four appearances, so he's trending in the right direction. The right-hander, who owns a 3.44 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 34 innings since the beginning of May, is slated to make his next start over the weekend on the road against the Diamondbacks.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Keeps piling up punchouts
Rotowire
Cavalli (2-3) took the loss Thursday against the Mets, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk in seven innings. He struck out nine.
The Mets did all their damage in the third inning, scratching across a pair of runs in the frame, but Cavalli otherwise cruised Thursday. The 27-year-old right-hander surrendered no extra-base hits and fanned at least eight batters for the fourth time in his past six starts. The 2020 first-round pick is coming into his own a bit in 2026, posting a 3.86 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 61:19 K:BB across 53.2 frames. Cavalli will be hoping to keep up his recent hot streak in the strikeout department his next time out versus Cleveland.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Unravels in fourth, takes loss
Rotowire
Cavalli (1-2) took the loss Tuesday against the Twins, allowing six runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out two over four innings.
Cavalli unraveled in the fourth inning, when he threw 40 pitches and struggled badly with his command. The right-hander opened the frame yielding a single and issuing back-to-back walks to load the bases before mishandling a weak grounder from Brooks Lee, allowing a run to score on the error. Later in the inning, Trevor Larnach delivered a two-run double that extended Minnesota's lead. Entering Tuesday, Cavalli had limited opponents to two or fewer earned runs in six of his seven starts and had struck out 10 batters in each of his previous two outings. He now owns a 4.15 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and a 40:17 K:BB across 34.2 innings and is set to face Miami in his next scheduled start.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Strikes out 10 in no-decision
Rotowire
Cavalli did not factor into the decision Thursday against Atlanta. He allowed two runs on seven hits and no walks while striking out 10 over five-plus innings.
While Cavalli failed to get in the win column Thursday, the right-hander turned in one of his better starts of the season, setting a career-high with 10 strikeouts. Still, the right-hander has struggled to go deep into games early in the season, completing at least six innings just once in six outings. Overall, Cavalli sports a 4.01 ERA with a 1.66 WHIP and 28:12 K:BB across 24.2 innings this year. He's currently slated for a road matchup with the Mets his next time out.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Goes just four innings Saturday
Rotowire
Cavalli didn't factor into the decision Saturday against the Giants, allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits and no walks with five strikeouts across four innings.
The Nationals' Opening Day starter, Cavalli has managed to go five innings in just one of his five starts to this point. Saturday marked his first outing without walking a batter, but the Giants made Cavalli work deep into at-bats and still got his pitch count up to 92. The right-hander's five strikeouts matched his season high, but he's not going deep enough to put himself in the mix for wins. Cavalli owns a 4.12 ERA and 18:12 K:BB across 19.2 innings and is slated to face Atlanta in his next start.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Struggles with command in loss
Rotowire
Cavalli (0-1) took the loss Monday against the Pirates, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks while striking out two over 1.1 innings.
Cavalli managed to work around early trouble in the first inning when he stranded two runners on base, but things unraveled quickly in the second. The right-hander allowed six straight baserunners, including three walks, as Pittsburgh pushed across four runs and forced his exit, making Monday the shortest start of his young career. The outing highlighted an issue that has followed Cavalli early this season -- traffic on the bases -- as he's managed to retire the side in order just three times through 16 innings. The 27-year-old now owns a 4.60 ERA, 1.72 WHIP and a 13:12 K:BB heading into his next scheduled start against San Francisco, a lineup that has had trouble generating consistent offense so far.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Draws Opening Day start
Rotowire
The Nationals announced Wednesday that Cavalli will start the team's March 26 season opener versus the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Injuries forced Cavalli to wait nearly three years in between major-league appearances, but he showed promise in his 10 starts with the Nationals in 2025 with a 4.25 ERA and 40:15 K:BB over 48.2 innings. The 27-year-old sported better velocity last season than he showed prior to Tommy John surgery and has some breakout potential in 2026.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Inks one-year deal with club option
Rotowire
Cavalli agreed to a one-year contract with the Nationals on Sunday that includes a club option for 2027, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
The two sides were unable to come to an agreement ahead of last week's arbitration deadline, but they continued to negotiate and came to terms on what could end up being a multi-year pact. The exact salary figure has yet to be reported, but it seems likely to fall between $825,000 and $900,000, which were the arbitration figures submitted by the two camps. Cavalli made 10 starts for the Nationals in 2025 and posted a 4.25 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 40:15 K:BB across 48.2 innings.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Chased early in no-decision
Rotowire
Cavalli did not factor into the decision in Friday's 10-9 loss to the White Sox, allowing six runs (two earned) on seven hits and one walk with six strikeouts over four innings.
Cavalli was tagged for four runs in the first inning, though the Nationals made errors on the first two batters he faced. It was the first time the 27-year-old failed to complete five frames since Aug. 27, but he'll finish the campaign holding opponents to three earned runs or fewer in five straight outings. For the season, he posted a 4.25 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 40:15 K:BB across 48.2 major-league innings.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Sharp again in no-decision
Rotowire
Cavalli came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 5-3 extra-innings win over the Mets, allowing five hits and a walk over five scoreless innings. He struck out three.
The right-hander continues to provide effective innings in September. Cavalli has gone exactly five frames in four straight starts and hasn't served up a homer on the month, posting a 3.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 12:7 K:BB through 20 innings. The 27-year-old will look to keep building his case for a spot in the 2026 rotation in his final outing of the current campaign, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the White Sox.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Goes five innings in no-decision
Rotowire
Cavalli didn't factor into the decision Sunday against the Pirates, allowing three runs on three hits and four walks across five innings. He struck out two.
Cavalli struggled early Sunday, giving up three runs in the first inning, highlighted by a Nick Gonzales two-run triple. However, the 27-year-old right-hander stopped the bleeding there, holding the Pirates scoreless over his final four frames. Cavalli has held opponents to three runs or fewer in each of his last three starts, going 2-0 with a 4.20 ERA in that span. Overall, his ERA sits at 4.76 with a 1.46 WHIP and 31 strikeouts across eight starts (39.2 innings) this season. Cavalli currently lines up for a road matchup with the Mets his next time out.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Notches third win
Rotowire
Cavalli (3-1) earned the win Monday at Miami, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk over five innings with one strikeout.
The 27-year-old contained the Marlins lineup over this short outing with his offense providing 15 runs of support. Cavalli fired 61 total pitches, 41 of which were strikes, as the Nationals monitor the workload for their oft-injured righty. The former first-rounder has pitched to a 4.67 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 29:9 K:BB across 34.2 total frames this season. Cavalli is currently slated to make his next appearance at home against the Pirates this weekend.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Bounces back with win
Rotowire
Cavalli (2-1) earned the win Tuesday over the Marlins, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out six in five innings.
Cavalli had a strong bounce-back outing after getting pummeled for eight runs (seven earned) by the Yankees in his previous start. He tossed three scoreless frames before the Marlins pushed a pair of runs across in the fourth and he was eventually pulled after tossing 75 pitches through five. Cavalli's fastball topped out at 99 mph and he tied his season high in strikeouts despite the quick hook. Cavalli is over 100 innings pitched for the season between the majors and minors, so it wouldn't be surprising to see some restrictions as the season winds down. He's currently lined up to face Miami again on the road next week.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Hammered by Yanks
Rotowire
Cavalli (1-1) took the loss Wednesday as the Nationals were routed 11-2 by the Yankees, surrendering eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits -- including four home runs -- and a walk over 2.1 innings. He struck out four.
The home squad sent 15 men to the plate in a nine-run third inning that saw Cavalli serve up long balls to Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Ryan McMahon before he got the hook. Cavalli had been pitching well since joining the big-league rotation for Washington in early August, but Wednesday's disastrous outing sent his ERA soaring from 2.82 to 5.11. The right-hander will look to rebound in his next start, which lines up to come at home early next week against the Marlins.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Quality start in no-decision
Rotowire
Cavalli came away with a no-decision in Friday's 5-4 win over the Phillies, giving up three runs on seven hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out four.
It wasn't quite as impressive an effort from Cavalli as in his last trip to the mound, when he fired seven shutout innings, but the right-hander held a dangerous Philly offense mostly in check for a second straight meeting. Cavalli tossed 64 of 95 pitches for strikes in his second career quality start, and over four outings in August he sports a 2.82 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 18:6 K:BB in 22.1 innings. He'll look to keep rolling in his next start, which lines up to come on the road next week against another fearsome foe in the Yankees.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Cade Cavalli: Receiving another start
Rotowire
Cavalli is slated to start Monday's game against the Royals in Kansas City, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
The 26-year-old right-hander will make his second straight turn through the rotation after he enjoyed an impressive return to the big leagues last Wednesday in what was his first MLB appearance since Aug. 26, 2022. Cavalli took a no-decision in his start against the Athletics, striking out six batters while allowing three hits and one walk over 4.1 scoreless innings. Despite Cavalli's excellent outing, fantasy managers may want to tread carefully with the rookie in what shapes up as a two-start week, with a second start likely to come during this weekend's series against the Phillies. Before rejoining the big club last week, Cavalli had logged an unremarkable 6.09 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 65 innings at Triple-A Rochester for the season, though he had posted a 14:0 K:BB in his final two starts prior to his call-up.
