The Rays got good news about left-hander Shane McClanahan a day after he left his final spring training start with injury, though not good enough to keep him on rotation for Opening Day. Manager Kevin Cash said Sunday that imaging showed that McClanahan’s injury is an inflamed nerve in his left triceps. He will start the season on the injured list, but it doesn’t sound like a long-term concern.
“Really good news on Mac,” said manager Kevin Cash (via the Tampa Bay Times). “Basically, it was more nerve-related. Calm the nerve down and then see how he progresses, get a ball back in his hand. Probably the best news we could have heard.”
Cash called the news “very fortunate” despite not having a timeline yet.
Ryan Pepiot will instead start on Opening Day with McClanahan on the shelf, but the bottom line is Sunday brought encouraging news.
McClanahan — who missed all of the 2024 season after Tommy John surgery — came off the mound Saturday in pain and signaled to the dugout immediately after a pitch. Take a look:
Opening Day was set to be 27-year-old McClanahan’s first MLB start since Aug. 2, 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Prior to his elbow injury in 2023, he was a two-time All-Star. In 2023, he was 11-2 with a 3.29 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 121 strikeouts in 115 innings. In his career, he’s 33-16 with a 3.02 ERA (130 ERA+). So far this spring, he’s looked like his old self and the best estimate for this coming season was that he’d throw like a No. 1 starter again.
The Rays finished 80-82 last season, finishing in fourth place in the AL East. It was their worst season since 2017.
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