The Nationals are done letting Cade Cavalli take the ball in 2026, and that call makes plenty of sense.
Washington is shutting down the right-hander for the rest of the season, according to Mark Zuckerman of Nats Journal. Cavalli is healthy, and the club is said to be “thrilled” with what he delivered in his first full big league season. Once he reached the 200-strikeout mark, the Nationals decided there was no reason to keep pushing him with the team’s place in the standings already settled.
For a fan base that has enjoyed watching Cavalli all year, the move may sting a little. But from the Nationals’ side, it’s hard to argue with the logic.
He has already logged far more work than he had in his major league career before this season, when he had thrown just 53 innings combined. It’s also the heaviest workload of his professional life.
In 2021, his first season after being drafted in the first round of the 2020 draft, he threw 123 1/3 innings. The next year, right shoulder inflammation in August cut him off at 97 innings.
Then came Tommy John surgery in the spring of 2023, another major interruption.
That history matters here. Washington has no reason to chase one more start when Cavalli has already shown enough. His second half alone was loud evidence of that, and the Nationals are choosing to protect that progress instead of gambling with it.
The club also made a long-term commitment to Cavalli with a contract extension, which raises the stakes for keeping him healthy heading into next season. That’s especially true with the larger pitching picture in Washington still carrying major issues that won’t necessarily be fixed in one winter.
There’s always some risk whenever a pitcher takes the mound. By ending Cavalli’s season now, the Nationals have eliminated that risk for the final stretch of 2026.
He can still get hurt in the offseason like any player working through a training program or workouts, but skipping his next start means he won’t be injured in a game this year. That’s just smart business.
It also locks in a strong finish on paper: a 3.02 ERA across 32 starts and 169 2/3 innings, with 200 strikeouts and 48 walks. Given where he was last year at this point, that’s a finish Washington can feel good about, and Cavalli can too.
He wasn’t just good this season. He looked like one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Over his final 12 starts, he posted a 1.90 ERA in the second half. He gave the Nationals exactly what they needed and earned the chance to watch the season wind down from the dugout.
Cavalli proved himself, the Nationals got their ace, and both sides ended up in a better place for it.
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