Yes, September is a long time away from now, and a lot can happen between now and then, but it might be interesting to see what, if any, pitching prospects will be called up to the Major leagues in September.
As of June 29, Cade Cavalli is considered the Nationals’ number-one prospect, with Jackson Rutledge number two and right-handed pitcher Cole Henry in the third spot, and who knows what the Nationals are going to do at the 2021 MLB draft?
However, with a big name on the Nationals’ pitching staff still on the IL, and no real news regarding the right hander, it got me wondering if we are going to see either Cavalli, Rutledge or Henry in the Majors when rosters expand in September and, hopefully, the Nationals will be in a pennant race.
As of today, if I had to choose one of those three pitchers, I believe that we could see Cavalli in the Majors by the end of the regular season, even appearing in a relief role or just pitching a couple of innings to get his feet wet and experience the big leagues.
Currently, Cavalli is seeing success at the AA level in Harrisburg, with an ERA of 3.09 despite only appearing in two games. The 22-year-old right hander currently has 17 strikeouts, has only given up nine hits and one home run, and has issued eight walks over 11 and a third innings pitched. During his time in Wilmington, Delaware, Cavalli’s ERA was an impressive 1.77 with three wins and one loss in seven starts. He had a total of 71 strikeouts, giving up only one home run on 24 hits over 40 innings pitched.
Next stop could be AAA in Rochester, where he will get another chance to impress the Nationals and see some good Major League hitters, which will give him a sense of how he is improving and how he would perform at the Major League level. Hopefully Cavialli can make that transition quickly, as he would be a perfect candidate to appear with the Nationals in September. I think giving the 2020 Washington Nationals’ first round pick a chance to see how he would perform against Major League hitters would give him some great motivation and help him to see where he is in the process of becoming a Major League pitcher.
The other pitcher that could be a potential call-up in September is right-hander Jackson Rutledge, but he hasn’t pitched since May 21 due to shoulder discomfort and is still rehabbing the shoulder in Florida, set to return to Wilmington, Delaware, in a couple days. Before his shoulder injury, Rutledge made four starts, posting a 12.66 ERA over 10 and a third innings pitched, with 10 strikeouts and a WHIP of 2.44.
Up until his recent injury, many thought that Rutledge might be the pitching prospect that would reach the Majors. I still believe that we will see Rutledge in the Majors very soon; maybe not this year, but don’t be surprised to see him next year!
Nationals fans should get excited no matter when these two pitching prospects hit the Major Leagues, especially as the current pitching staff is getting older. It is time to see what the “kids” can do, and hopefully, we will see that soon!