Matt

Cronin

Cronin cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. The 26-year-old made 14 appearances in Triple-A this year before undergoing surgery for a herniated disc in his back.

Cronin, who has yet to reach the majors, underwent back surgery after just 14 appearances in Triple-A this year. If he clears waivers, he’ll stick with the Nationals as a non-roster player.

That’ll presumably end his season. Cronin believes the surgery will fix the shoulder pain he’s endured the last two years. The left-handed reliever, who was added to the Nationals’ 40-man roster after last season, pitched just 14 1/3 innings for Triple-A Rochester this season, posting a 5.02 ERA.

Cronin was added to Washington’s 40-man roster last November after a solid 52-inning performance in the upper minors. The 25-year-old lefty made three scoreless relief appearances this spring in the Grapefruit League. He figures to be an option for the Nationals’ bullpen at some point this year.

The 25-year-old southpaw has yet to make his big league debut, though the Nationals wanted to protect him from the Rule 5 draft after an impressive 2022 campaign in the minors. He logged 52 innings between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester, compiling a 2.42 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 56/22 K/BB ratio over 52 frames. He should debut out of the Nationals bullpen at some point during the 2023 season.

Matt Cronin will join him. Selected 22nd overall in 2020, Cavalli has reeled off a dominant 1.77 ERA and 71/12 K/BB ratio in 40 2/3 innings through his first seven pro starts with High-A Wilmington. The 22-year-old was ranked as the No. 99 prospect in the game by MLB Pipeline coming into the year and is quickly picking up steam in that regard. He’s looking like a steal for Washington.

Cronin picked up a save in the contest, and that’s his second of the season for the Blue Rocks. Drafted in the fourth-round out of Arkansas, Cronin has been dominant at the High-A level with 23 strikeouts over 12 1/3 innings and a 1.46 ERA. It’s worth pointing out that he’s 23 -- old for the High-A level -- but the stuff here is impressive; a high-spin fastball that gets into the mid-to-high 90s and a curveball that gives hitters on both sides of the plate fits. The command is just so-so and his split-change is a below-average offering, but both don’t have to even reach average for Cronin to be an effective reliever. There’s a very good chance that Cronin is a high-leverage reliever someday, maybe even a closer.