As the Nationals wind down their time in West Palm Beach, the "Butera Experiment" is finally giving us some real data. While Spring Training stats can be a trap, the eye test in Florida has been loud. We’ve seen a ghost return to true form and a couple other locks suddenly look like he’s running out of time.
If you’re trying to figure out which way the needle is moving for 2026, here are the two players you need to be circling right now.
The Concern Erased: Cade Cavalli is All the Way Back
For two years, the majority of the conversation around Cade Cavalli has been defined by the word "if." If he gets healthy, if  he regains his velocity, if he can still be an ace.
Consider those concerns officially erased. Cavalli didn't just look healthy this spring, he looked dominant. Capping his Grapefruit League performance with a six strikeout masterpiece against the Astros, Cavalli touched 99 MPH and more importantly commanded the zone with a sharp new "sweeper." Blake Butera didn’t hesitate to name him the Opening Day starter at Wrigley Field.
Losing MacKenzie Gore felt like a death blow to the rotation, but Cavalli’s emergence as a legitimate, healthy #1 has saved the narrative. He isn't just a prospect anymore; he’s the anchor this staff desperately needs.
The New Red Flag: Young Outfielders' Spring Struggles
On the flip side, we have to talk about Daylen Lile. After a 2025 rookie campaign where he finished 5th in Rookie of the Year voting and looked like a triples machine, Lile entered camp as a "locked in" part of the young core.
He got off to a sputtering start, failing to register a hit until his 6th game of the spring, but he has bounced back nicely since then, with some extra base hits and a couple homers to his line. While the overall statline is not pretty, he has certainly made things interesting as to how the outfield depth might shake out. However, with guys like Dylan Crews and James Wood also struggling mightily, Lile should be fine overall in terms of his roster status.
As other guys continue raking and the Nats constantly having a plethora of outfield depth, the initial trio of Wood, Lile, and Crews' "untouchable" status is evaporating. If Lile or Crews don't find their swings in the next week, they might be looking at a trip back to Rochester instead of the flight to Chicago. For a team that needs lineup protection for the big bats, Crews and Lile’s disappearing act is a major problem.