MIAMI – Cade Cavalli had been in the visitors’ clubhouse at loanDepot Park several times previously. Not because he was a member of the Nationals’ big league roster, but because he had been rehabbing from injuries in nearby West Palm Beach and drove down to Miami when the Nats were in town playing the Marlins to meet with coaches and trainers and feel like part of the roster for at least a few days.

When he entered Monday afternoon, Cavalli recognized the difference. This time, he was on the active roster. This time, he wasn’t just throwing a bullpen session. This time, he was starting that night’s game for the Nationals.

“I felt that exact emotion when I walked in here,” the right-hander said. “I was like: Dang, it was three years in a row of checking in with people, from 2022 up til now that I’ve been here as a rehabber. And now I’m in here as a player. It just takes me back through the journey that I’ve been on. I’m really grateful that god has given me the health to be here and to be a teammate with these guys and be able to go compete for them. It’s really good emotions that came through.”

Cavalli would have felt that way regardless of the results of Monday night’s game. The fact he also pitched well over five efficient innings and emerged with his third career win only sweetened the deal.

It’s taken a lot longer than anyone would have expected, but the Nationals’ 2020 first round pick is finally a healthy, productive member of the big league rotation. Monday represented his seventh start of the season, the eighth of his career. He’s now 3-1 with a 4.67 ERA that’s a bit misleading because of one blowup start at Yankee Stadium two weeks ago that skewered his stats. Throw that one out, and Cavalli is 3-0 with a 3.06 ERA.

Monday’s outing was significant in multiple ways. For one thing, Cavalli proved again he could be successful when facing the same opponent twice in a row. He already did that against the Phillies last month, allowing three total runs over 13 innings. And he has now done it against the Marlins, with back-to-back starts of two runs allowed in five innings.

Also significant about this start was Cavalli’s tremendous efficiency. Though he induced only three swings and misses from the Miami lineup, he also completed five innings on a scant 61 pitches, recording quick outs thanks to a flurry of ground balls.

“I thought it was a good thing,” he said of the low number of whiffs. “It kept the pitch count down. We were getting early outs. It’s not always about the swing-and-miss or the strikeouts. It’s how we get to go deep in ballgames.”

Under different circumstances, Cavalli would’ve been allowed to pitch much deeper in this game than five innings. But as the finish line approaches to a long-awaited, fully-healthy season, the Nationals are being extraordinarily cautious with his workload. He’s unlikely to pitch more than five innings in any of his remaining starts.

All the Nationals really care about at this point is making sure Cavalli heads into the winter healthy and ready to build off the 100-plus innings he has thrown between the majors and minors this year.

Because the last thing the club, or the right-hander, wants to think about is another lonely trip from West Palm Beach to Miami while on the injured list, just to break up the monotony of a long rehab program.

“I’ve been here where I was like: ‘Alright, my goal here today is to be the best at working out.’ Or: ‘Go get soft tissue (treatment) and just rehab,’ he said. “But today, I was like: ‘I get to be locked in to go compete for these guys.’ That was a really cool feeling.”