Cavalli (elbow) will skip his next rehab start with Triple-A Rochester after exiting his last outing Tuesday with fatigue, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Cavalli will throw a pair of bullpen sessions in between starts instead, and the Nationals are not viewing this as a significant setback. Coming back from Tommy John surgery, Cavalli has allowed three runs with a 9:4 K:BB across 11 innings covering three rehab starts.

Nationals president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo said Wednesday that Cavalli (elbow) was pulled from his rehab start with Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday due to fatigue, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Rizzo did not seem overly concerned, noting that Cavalli was touching 98 miles per hour with his fastball during the outing. The right-hander allowed three runs over two innings in the start, throwing 37 pitches. It's not clear whether Cavalli -- who is coming back from March 2023 Tommy John surgery -- will be ready for his next rehab start or will need to be pushed back in the pitching schedule.

Cavalli (elbow) threw five shutout innings while allowing two hits and one walk with four strikeouts across five innings with Double-A Harrisburg on Thursday, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Cavalli has had a long recovery from Tommy John surgery, but he has looked good through two rehab outings. He ramped up to 69 pitches Thursday, 43 of which went for strikes. Cavalli will likely remain on the injured list until mid-May but will continue to build up in the minors.

Cavalli (elbow) will make his next rehab start Thursday with Double-A Harrisburg, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Cavalli will get a tougher test for his second outing in the minors after he reported to Single-A Fredericksburg for the beginning of his rehab assignment and struck out three batters over four scoreless innings during his lone outing with the affiliate last Saturday. The right-hander was out for most of the previous two seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery and also missed time last summer while going through a "dead arm" phase, so the Nationals will likely keep him on his rehab assignment for the entire 30-day window. Washington doesn't appear to have a rotation spot available for Cavalli at the big-league level, so the 26-year-old will likely be optioned to Triple-A Rochester once he's activated from the 15-day injured list.

Cavalli (elbow) worked up to 35 pitches in a simulated game last Tuesday, and the Nationals will have him go through a normal spring training progression over the next month before determining whether he's ready to come off the injured list, Bobby Blanco of MASN Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

"We don't want to rush things and get back to the point where we're hurting. So it's just going to be a really good build up," Cavalli said Friday while visiting the team's clubhouse during a series in Miami. "Hopefully, everything keeps responding how it is. I know they have a great plan. The staff is unbelievable and they have it set up to where I can get back fully healthy, ready to go help the club." Cavalli hasn't pitched in the majors since 2022 due to Tommy John surgery performed in March 2023, but the Nats are hoping the 26-year-old right-hander can be a factor in the big-league rotation at some point in the second half this season.

Cavalli (elbow) threw two innings in a Florida Complex League game Wednesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Per Nationals manager Dave Roberts, Cavalli was sitting in the 94-to-97 mph range with his fastball in what was his first rehab appearance of the season. Cavalli is nearly two years removed from Tommy John surgery, having been delayed last year as he went through a "dead arm" phase. The Nationals will manage the righty's workload in the first half, with the goal of having him join the rotation at some point after the All-Star break.

The Nationals placed Cavalli (elbow) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, retroactive to March 24.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander is nearing the final stages of his rehab from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in May of 2023 and subsequent dealt with a "dead arm" last summer. Cavalli's last significant action came at Triple-A Rochester in 2022, where he had a 3.71 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 104:39 K:BB across 97 innings.

Cavalli (elbow) is scheduled to throw against live hitters Thursday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Thursday will mark the first time Cavalli has faced hitters this spring. The 26-year-old righty is already slated to begin the season on the injured list as he finishes up his rehab from the Tommy John procedure he underwent two years ago, though it may not be long before he returns to a competitive setting if he gets through a few more live sessions with no setbacks.

Cavalli (elbow) is expected to start the season on the injured list, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Cavalli is considered healthy this spring after being limited to just 8.1 innings over the last two seasons following March 2023 Tommy John surgery. However, he has not made any Grapefruit League appearances and the Nationals plan to manage his workload in the first half of the season. Cavalli could be a factor with the big club after the All-Star break, but the club will bring him along slowly.

Cavalli will have his workload managed in the early part of the season, with the goal being to have him in the big-league rotation later in the year, Jessica Camerato of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 26-year-old right-hander has pitched just 8.1 innings over the last two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2023, but Cavalli is healthy to begin spring training and threw a bullpen session Thursday. "When you see him throw and he's healthy and in the right frame of mind and the right shape, the sky's the limit for that guy," general manager Mike Rizzo said Thursday. "His first bullpen today was terrific, and we're just going to take it slow with him. But to have him healthy and pitching like he's capable of is exciting to me." A first-round pick in 2020, Cavalli displayed his upside in 2022 when he posted a 3.71 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 104:39 K:BB over 97 Triple-A innings, and he's expected to get a chance to regain that form with Triple-A Rochester to begin the current campaign before the Nats give him another crack at big-league hitters.