The Washington Nationals bounced back from a blowout loss to the Detroit Tigers on Monday night with a spotlight performance from CJ Abrams. Last night, the Nationals won 3-1 in Detroit in the second game of the series, and all 3 runs were driven in by CJ Abrams, who made some team history of his own in a few different ways.
Abrams hit the 100 RBI mark on Tuesday night after he hit his 32nd home run in the top of the second inning, and quickly exceeded the mark in the top of the seventh inning with a go-ahead 2-run homer. The true rise and ascension of Abrams to an All-Star caliber player regardless of position has been a big story for the 2026 Nationals but far from the only one.
Perhaps the biggest overall win this season for the Nationals has been in the form of ace righty Cade Cavalli, who just inked an extension with the team that drafted him last week. However, Cavalli received some news on Tuesday afternoon that likely caught a lot of people by surprise.
Nationals shutting down Cade Cavalli after breakout 2026 season
The news regarding Cavalli is that he is being shut down for the rest of the 2026 season, and he will not make his final scheduled start this afternoon in the series finale against the Tigers. While it might be a little bit disappointing on the surface, it really makes a lot of sense given that Cavalli has already pitched more innings than he ever has before.
Cade Cavalli is done for the year. He is healthy, to be clear, but the Nats are shutting him down given all the innings and where they are at in the standings.
— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) September 22, 2026
With Cavalli now done for the season officially, he finishes the 2026 year with a 13-5 record, 3.02 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and a 200:48 K:BB ratio. He has pitched 169.2 innings and amassed a 3.25 FIP, and given that he was the first Nationals pitcher in over half a decade to reach the 200 strikeout mark, Cavalli has a lot to hang his hat on for a successful breakout season.
Going into next season, he will be the ace of the Nationals' staff alongside fellow arms like Connelly Early and Andrew Alvarez, among others, and getting him to the finish line healthy this year was a big accomplishment for everyone involved. While it's never great to hear that a guy is getting shut down for the season, having it be on healthy terms is a great development.
What do you think of the Nationals effectively shutting down Cade Cavalli for the season? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.
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