FAYETTEVILLE, N.C - Cade Cavalli made a highly anticipated return to the mound for his first official rehab appearance of the year, starting for the Fredericksburg Nationals. This outing marked not only his debut with the Fredericksburg Nationals but also an important step in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, which sidelined the 2020 first-round pick out of Oklahoma for much of the past two seasons.

Cade Cavalli wasted no time settling in. He opened his outing with an efficient, eight-pitch first inning, recording his first Single-A strikeout by freezing Caden Powell on three consecutive curveballs. The right-hander, ranked among the Nationals' top prospects, continued to show poise and command in the following frames. In the second inning, he worked around two walks to keep Fayetteville off the board, and followed that with a perfect third inning, adding a strikeout in each of those frames.

Staked to a lead in the fourth after Jorgelys Mota manufactured a run, Cavalli returned to the mound with a clear plan. He allowed his first—and only—hit of the night on a ground ball, but quickly rebounded by fielding a comebacker for the first out and then making an athletic play covering first base for the second out, showing no signs of rust or hesitation. The inning—and his outing—ended with a routine fly ball to center, capping off a scoreless four-inning performance.

Cavalli finished his night having allowed just one hit and three walks while striking out three batters, an encouraging sign as he works his way back to the Nationals’ rotation. His fastball velocity and sharp breaking stuff were evident throughout, and his ability to work through minor traffic demonstrated both physical readiness and competitive edge in his first official game action since the 2024 season.

This outing represents a major milestone in Cavalli’s rehab process, and the Nationals will be closely monitoring his progress as he continues to build up innings and regain his pre-injury form.