A roar at Dodger Stadium

Cavalli struck out Teoscar Hernandez, roared, and walked off after six innings of two-run ball in front of 52,785 fans. His team was in position to win.

Not talent, availability

The powerful right arm was never in doubt. Injuries early in his career kept him off the mound, so nobody got to see what he could actually do.

Two seasons gone

Tommy John surgery wiped out all of 2023. He pitched three minor league games in 2024 before dead arm shut him down again.

“Am I ever gonna play again?”

The low point

On a rehab assignment last year, feeling terrible and questioning his baseball future, he decided he had to change something about how he trained.

“Man, I gotta do something different, I gotta figure something out like for my career.”

A teammate on a table

At Double-A Harrisburg he found Michael Soroka lying with electrical pads hooked to his body, working back from a bicep strain, and asked what the contraption was.

Electrical stim for pain

Soroka was using ARPWave neuromuscular therapy, which sends electrical stimulation to the source of pain to boost blood flow, strength and range of motion.

The machine in his closet

Cavalli already owned a similar NeuX device at home but had no idea how to use it well. Seeing it work for someone else changed that.

Calling the NeuX guy

He phoned Dan Dixon, a NeuX executive and former Oklahoma and Northwestern football player, to build a nutrition plan and workout regimen around the device.

Refueling between starts

Throwing near triple digits drains an arm. Dixon's fix was restorative energy: more orange juice, the right carbs, even cream and sugar in the once-black coffee.

“I used to just drink my coffee black, and I put some cream and sugar in there to spark the metabolism.”

Legs first, then velocity

The day after a start is light work, football catch and NeuX aimed mostly at his legs. He also sleeps in a sam SPORT ultrasound device that pushes circulation in soft tissue.

“A lot of the work at the beginning is for my legs because I need to let my legs get back back underneath me.”

He used to air it out

In 2023, trying to prove he belonged, he emptied the tank in every bullpen session. He now calls that habit detrimental to his health.

“It was detrimental to my health, going and doing that every day.”

A sensor on the elbow

Driveline's PULSE monitor, a small blue device on his elbow, measures the quantity and force of every throw. Last year he guessed by feel. Now his weekly scores barely move.

“I think not overloading your arm is just as important as not underloading your arm.”

The numbers now

Three earned runs or fewer in 29 of 31 starts, most in the majors. He leads Nationals starters in innings, ERA and strikeouts, and his 2.05 second-half ERA ranks fifth among qualified starters.

The scar stays

The surgery mark and the memory of being away from teammates linger. What he took from it is a different relationship with the game and with the people in the clubhouse.

“I think that when you go through it, you see how much you truly love this game.”