An already rebuilding Nationals club will have to do without one of its top stars of the future in 2023.
Right-handed starter Cade Cavalli suffered a right elbow injury during his latest start against the New York Mets on Tuesday which has been diagnosed as a "grade three sprain" of his ulnar collateral ligament, requiring season-ending Tommy John surgery.
The injury occurred in the third inning while Cavalli was pitching to Brandon Nimmo. After delivering a changeup, Cavalli began shaking his right arm.
"We saw him shaking his arm, so we went out there and talked to him and took him out." said manager Dave Martinez, via MLB.com. "He said he felt something behind his throwing elbow."
"He said, 'Let me throw a pitch,'" Martinez added. "I said, 'Absolutely not. Come on. We'll get you checked out and see what's going on and then get you back on as soon as we can.'"
Nationals President of Baseball Operations and GM Mike Rizzo issued the following statement:
"During the third inning of our game against the New York Mets on Tuesday, right-handed pitcher Cade Cavalli sustained a right elbow injury. An MRI has revealed that he has a grade three sprain of his ulnar collateral ligament which will require Tommy John surgery. While Cade will not pitch in 2023, he continues to be a very important part of our franchise's future and we look forward to having him back on the mound. We will provide an update on his surgery when it is available."
Cavalli, 24, was a first-round pick by Washington (22nd overall) in 2020 and was primed to make the leap towards the Majors this season.
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