WASHINGTON -- Right-hander Cade Cavalli was placed on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation on Wednesday, less than a week after making his Major League debut on Friday.

Cavalli, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Nationals¡¯ No. 4 prospect and No. 58 overall, gave up seven runs and recorded six strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings (99 pitches) against the Reds following his big league callup.

The next day, Cavalli felt ¡°abnormal soreness¡± when he woke up and thought it would subside. But when he played catch that afternoon, he experienced shoulder tightness after around 10 throws.

¡°It was something that I had never felt before, and it was not normal at all,¡± Cavalli recounted on Wednesday. ¡°You¡¯ve got to take care of your body. As much as I didn¡¯t want to say anything, you have to.¡±

Cavalli was told by pitching coach Jim Hickey to stop throwing, then he underwent an MRI on Sunday.

¡°Everything looks good, except for he has a little bit of inflammation around the capsule,¡± manager Dave Martinez said prior to the Nationals¡¯ 10-6 loss to the Athletics on Tuesday. ¡°But the labrum, tendons, the rotator cuff -- everything's very, very clean. ¡­ Cade says he feels good today, but we need to be very, very cautious. We're talking about a kid that's part of a big future of ours. So we're going to take it easy, and hopefully we can knock this out in a couple of weeks and then we'll re-evaluate after that.¡±

At this point, the Nationals are not shutting Cavalli down for the remainder of the season. But with only 33 games remaining, that is not out of the question, either.

¡°I don¡¯t let my mind go there, no, no,¡± Cavalli said. ¡°I just want to be out there, so that¡¯s where my head¡¯s at and it¡¯s to get back. Obviously, you¡¯ve got to be smart and take care of it and not rush things and push. But I want to be back out there bad, so I never let my mind go there where I¡¯m shut down.¡±

The Nats¡¯ first pick (No. 22 overall) in the 2020 Draft, Cavalli has been a big piece of the organization¡¯s future plans as it shapes its next core of starting pitchers. Even after Cavalli excelled in the Minor Leagues in ¡®21, the team emphasized the importance of not rushing his Major League debut this year.

The Nationals currently have seven pitchers on the 60-day IL, and they are being very careful with their young arms. Josiah Gray, 24, is skipping a start given his spike in innings this season. MacKenzie Gore, 23, is on a cautious road back from left elbow inflammation that he sustained while on the Padres. The path for Cavalli will be thought through just as comprehensively.

¡°The fact that he came up here and got a start was awesome, and that's a testament to how hard he's worked to get better,¡± Martinez said. ¡°That's the way we're looking at it, that¡¯s [how I told] Cade to look at it. I said, ¡®This is just the beginning of a long future for you pitching in the big leagues. ¡­ Let's just focus on that and get you healthy. Like I said, you're going to pitch many, many games [and] you're going to win many, many games for us, too.¡¯¡±

Paolo Espino will take the mound on Thursday in place of Cavalli. The Nationals called up Cory Abbott from Triple-A on Wednesday, but the multi-role right-hander will be utilized as a reliever, given the taxed state of the bullpen following Erick Fedde¡¯s exit after 2 2/3 innings on Tuesday.

In the meantime, Cavalli will stay with the team on its upcoming 10-game road trip while working on strengthening activities that don¡¯t require throwing, which included back and core exercises on Tuesday.

¡°I'm not going to be shutting it down completely,¡± said Cavalli. ¡°We've got something to work forward to. There's still some season left, and that's where my head's at. I want to get back. I want to go compete again this year for this club.¡±

Martinez would also like injured veteran pitchers -- Cavalli sits next to Sean Doolittle and Tanner Rainey in the clubhouse -- to share their advice and experiences to help prepare the 24-year-old for the recovery process.

¡°He's about as positive as they come; he really is,¡± said Martinez. ¡°He's a go-getter, and his focus is trying to help us win as many games as possible, whenever that is."