A Week in Review with the Washington Nationals: Cade Cavalli plays catch for the first time since undergoing Tommy John Surgery

A weekly round-up of some of the big Washington Nationals stories over the past week. (September 18 - September 22)

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Here are some of the topics I'll be covering today:

1. RHP Sean Doolittle announces retirement;

2. Cade Cavalli plays catch for the first time since undergoing Tommy John Surgery

3. Shohei Ohtani Undergoes Elbow Surgery

The big story: Cade Cavalli plays catch for the first time since undergoing Tommy John Surgery

Cade Cavalli plays catch for the first time. For the first time since right-hander pitcher Cade Cavalli underwent Tommy John Surgery back in March, the Washington Nationals played catch on Tuesday according to Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports. Cavalli said to Zuckerman “I have been visualizing that moment since pretty much the time I tore (my elbow ligament),” he said. “And now that it’s here, it was very surreal. It felt great. It did feel weird the first couple of throws, trying to find that slot again. But once I found it and felt comfortable in it, it was awesome. I don’t know how else to describe it but awesome. It was a great feeling.”

Cavalli has been spending the majority of this season rehabbing from his surgery at the Washington Nationals spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Washington Nationals prospect is aiming to return to the team “sometime in June,” according to Zuckerman and Cavalli.

“This is a very long process. It’s over the span of 14 months, sometimes more if you need it. We just want to make sure the tendon, and everything is right before we really get to that. It’s just a whole lot of trust and paying attention to the body,” Cavalli said to Zuckerman.

RICHARD’S TAKE

Whenever the 2020 Washington Nationals draft pick returns to the Nationals pitching rotation he will join a lot of fellow young starters such as MacKenzie Gore, Josiah Gray, Jake Irvin, and perhaps Jackson Rutledge. Having Cavalli back into the pitching rotation will make the Nationals starting rotation exciting to watch.