Cade Cavalli’s 2025 season was defined by health and tantalizing upside. After long absences, he worked his way to a substantial workload, logging 122.2 innings between the minors and majors and posting a respectable 4.25 ERA over 10 MLB starts. He flashed upper-90s velocity (peaking near 100) with a hammer curve and a usable change, but his results were tempered by command gaps that allowed hard contact, especially to righties.

For fantasy managers, the path to a true breakout hinges on two tweaks: tighten zone discretion and develop a reliable weapon against right-handed hitters. If he stays healthy and the command lands, Cavalli could anchor the Nationals’ middle rotation in 2026, delivering spike games with elite stuff and a ceiling that hints at big fantasy upside.

Washington hosts New York with a five-game skid on the line. The Nationals shuffle the bottom of the order: Robert Hassell moves to center and bats fifth, Riley Adams will handle catching, Brady House returns at third, Nasim Nunez slides to second, and Cade Cavalli starts on the mound. The Mets counter with Cedric Mullins in for Jose Siri and Jeff McNeil at second as Nolan McLean, the club’s new ace with extraordinary movement, gets the ball. The game at Citi Field becomes a test: can cleaner defense and a sharper attack snap the Nats out of their funk and slow a Mets club chasing a playoff push?

Washington hosts Pittsburgh in an early rubber match at Nationals Park, with Washington reshuffling the lineup as Dylan Crews sits. Robert Hassell moves to right, Jacob Young to center, Daylen Lile in left, and James Wood shifts to DH while Riley Adams handles catching and Nasim Nunez stays at second. Cade Cavalli starts for the Nats. Pittsburgh counters with a lefty-friendly lineup featuring Oneil Cruz, Ji Hwan Bae, Spencer Horwitz, Joey Bart catching, and Mike Burrows on the mound. The Nats seek a September spark against aPirates club facing similar odds, hoping to prove they can beat teams in this tier.

The tactical shifts create fantasy intrigue: expect Hassell and Young to climb the batting order, Lile and Wood to contribute from spots that boost run potential, and Cavalli to deliver mixed results against a left-handed heavy Pirates lineup. For Pittsburgh, left-handed combinations against Cavalli will test Washington’s defense and opportunistic baserunning. This game is a chance for both teams to showcase resilience in a tight early-season schedule.

Week 22 of 2025 brings a tight, catcher-friendly waiver wire for starting pitchers. Rookie breakdowns and back-end rotation bets headline shallow leagues, while deeper rosters get a richer pool of options. Nolan McLean and Dean Kremer anchor the top-streamers, with Bubba Chandler, Dustin May, Cristian Javier, Cam Schlittler and Cade Cavalli among the more intriguing adds. Additional depth comes from Cade Cavalli, Mike Burrows, Cade Povich, Davis Martin and Luis Morales, plus a handful of under-15% rostered arms that could surprise in the pennant chase. Proactive FAAB and daily lineup discipline are urged as the weekend approaches.

rostering, matchup awareness, and role clarity drive the week’s decisions. The piece emphasizes evaluating early-season form, pitcher usage trends, and whether a bulking relief role can translate into meaningful starts. The message: add pitchers before they wake up in your league, monitor innings, and exploit favorable matchups as teams push toward playoffs.