WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Their timelines were different, yet Cade Cavalli’s and Josiah Gray’s recoveries from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery were linked almost immediately.

When Cavalli began the rehab process in 2023, Gray allowed him and his wife to stay at Gray’s house near the spring training facility. A year and a half later, it was Gray’s turn to rehab in Florida, staying in his own home but keeping in touch with Cavalli throughout.

The surgeries, one after the other, were major setbacks for two of Washington’s young, promising starting pitchers.

But at least they had each other.

“We were able to encourage each other,” Cavalli said, “that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”

The light is here — or so they hope. Cavalli and Gray endured the long rehabs and are here, in Nationals spring training, hoping to become centerpieces of the rotation.

Cavalli, of course, returned first. He pitched 48 1/3 innings for the Nationals last year. The talk around camp is that he could lead Washington’s rotation after MacKenzie Gore, who was the team’s top starter a year ago, was traded to the Texas Rangers.

Gray, meanwhile, returned to the mound late in 2025 and threw 5 2/3 innings on rehab assignments before the season ended. The hope is that Gray can remind people why the Nationals made him a large part of the return in a trade that sent cornerstones Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Dodgers.

“They both have great potential,” said Paul Toboni, the Nationals’ first-year president of baseball operations. “With Cade in particular, he’s farther along, just because of the nature of when these injuries happened. He’s rolling. We all have high expectations for Cade. He has high expectations for himself. The sky’s the limit for him, and he’s full go.

“Josiah is a little bit different. I think he’s still coming back to being himself, right? And he’s got great potential as well, but he’s got to be patient, because you don’t want to rush through this part of the return-to-performance process and you look up and you ended up rushing it a little bit more than he should have. So we’re going to be patient with them. We’re going to support the heck out of them. And we’re also going to challenge them.”

Cavalli, 27, and Gray, 26, know all about patience. Gray hasn’t pitched in a major league game in almost two full seasons. Before Cavalli returned in 2025, he hadn’t seen a major league mound since 2022, when he had a 4 1/3-inning cameo.

Patience can benefit a pitcher, though, because it can help him separate the big picture — a full season of results — from the day-to-day work that is vital to maintain his arm. And when he does step on the mound, the patience can slow down the moment, reminding him he must execute a pitch at a time.

“There’re so many rehab days you won’t feel 100% and you’ll have to grind through, and you build some resiliency in your body and mind and just trust that you can do it and trust the work’s going to pay off in the long run,” Gray said. “I’m just excited to get out there and prove a point that I’m here for a reason and they’re making the right choice.”

Josiah Gray pitches on opening day 2024. (Timothy D. Easley/AP)

There have been bright moments for both of these pitchers, especially so for Gray. He earned an All-Star appearance in 2023. He was named Washington’s opening day starter in 2024. Then his rise was put on pause until now.

And Cavalli produced strong minor league numbers, which helped him become a top-100 prospect in 2022 and 2023, according to Baseball America. Upon arriving in the majors last year, his 4.25 ERA was inflated by one poor outing that the team believes was a result of him tipping his pitches. Of the 10 starts he made, he allowed three earned runs or fewer in eight. He took that progress into the offseason and has earned rave reviews from staff members about his potential.

“He’s the real deal. I don’t want to put goals in front of him that are going to limit him, honestly,” said Simon Mathews, Washington’s pitching coach. “He has the potential to be extremely special.”

A new pitch in Cavalli’s arsenal could help him realize that potential. This winter, Mathews and assistant pitching coach Sean Doolittle showed Cavalli the grip for a sweeper over Zoom and asked him to try it. Over several months, Cavalli grew more comfortable with it.

Cade Cavalli had a 4.25 ERA in 48 2/3 innings last season. (Nick Wass/AP)

Given Cavalli’s mostly up-and-down movement profiles, the sweeper’s glove-side run gives batters an entirely new look out of his hand.

“We just wanted to develop something that could make them run out of bat,” Cavalli said.

Gray’s changes have more to do with mechanics — and an understanding that becoming too mechanically focused can be a detriment. Mathews has emphasized to Gray that he can afford to lean in to his unique delivery, with his body rotating early, his hips opening sooner than most.

“There are so many aspects of that delivery that Simon wants to highlight, that he doesn’t want to coach out of me,” Gray said. “It’s refreshing to hear that again.”

For as sure as Mathews feels about Cavalli’s ability to morph into a star, Gray could blossom just as quickly. Mathews said, although most pitchers return to competition at around the one-year mark from elbow surgery, the two-year mark is when they begin to feel normal again.

That’s where Gray is.

“If Josiah starts feeling normal and starts feeling comfortable out there, we could be in for something really fun,” Mathews said. “If Josiah is back, if he’s feeling himself, that’s something I can get really, really excited about.”

There are ample questions around the rotation, although right-handers Miles Mikolas and Foster Griffin should join Cavalli. Washington brought in the former two in free agency. The final two spots are more of an open competition, even though a healthy Gray has the pedigree to prove he belongs.

There would be fewer questions if Cavalli and Gray establish themselves once more. They’ve been patient. Now they’re ready to lead this group.

“I want to get out there as many times, take the time for 32, 33 starts and go help this club win,” Cavalli said. “That’s my goal. I love these guys. I’ve gotten to know them extremely well. I’m really happy with where our team is at, where our culture’s headed, and I just want to stay healthy all season and go compete for these guys.”