The Rays are waiting on Shane McClanahan again, and that alone makes this a situation worth watching closely.
Tampa Bay placed the left-hander on the 15-day injured list with left forearm tightness and brought up right-hander Alex Cook in the corresponding move. The team has not offered much in the way of specifics on how serious the issue is. McClanahan, at least, sounded cautiously optimistic when he told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times that his initial sense is that the problem is not serious.
Even with that note of optimism, this is a meaningful development for a pitcher whose recent years have been shaped by arm trouble. McClanahan became Tampa’s ace a few seasons ago, putting up a 3.02 ERA across 74 starts from 2021 to 2023.
Then the injuries piled up. Forearm tightness sent him to the IL in August of 2023, and he later underwent Tommy John surgery.
That wiped out the rest of that season and all of 2024. He was supposed to be back in the mix in 2025, but nerve issues in his throwing arm slowed everything down, and he needed another surgery to address that problem in August of last year.
That cost him the entire season as well.
This year, though, McClanahan had finally been back on the mound and pitching well. He has made 24 starts with a 3.36 ERA.
His 21.8% strikeout rate is below the 28% mark he posted in his earlier seasons, but his 8% walk rate and 44.2% ground ball rate are both solid. He did miss a couple of weeks in August because of back tightness, but his arm had been fine until this latest setback.
For the moment, the Rays can at least absorb the loss. Griffin Jax just came off the IL, which gives Tampa six starters.
Even without McClanahan, the group still includes Jax, Drew Rasmussen, Freddy Peralta, Ian Seymour and Nick Martinez. And with the best record in the American League, they are basically locked into a playoff berth.
Still, there’s real upside risk here. The Yankees are only three games back in the A.L.
East, and if they catch Tampa Bay and win the division, the Rays would fall to a wild card spot. That would cost them a first-round bye.
The bigger concern is October itself: if McClanahan isn’t ready by then, the Rays lose a potential playoff starter.
Rasmussen looks like the obvious No. 1 in a postseason series. After him, the rotation gets murkier.
Peralta has the track record, but this has been his worst season since he established himself as a starter. Jax has spent most of his career in the bullpen and is still being stretched out, even though he’s been effective; he also just returned from an IL stint for elbow discomfort.
Martinez owns a strong ERA, but his 14.7% strikeout rate is tiny. Seymour has missed bats, but the home run problem has been an issue.
The hope is that McClanahan is back soon. His own comments suggest the Rays may not be dealing with anything long-term, and a return before the regular season ends is at least possible.
If Tampa Bay earns that first-round bye, it would buy him extra time. But given his injury history, it’s hard not to wonder whether this could linger into September and October.
In Other News...
Rays Suddenly Face Another Shane McClanahan Concern
Shane McClanahans return to the Rays was already carrying obvious significance, because every outing was part of the longer effort to reestablish one of the organizations most important arms after a back injury and a lengthy road back from Tommy John surgery and nerve issues. Instead, Tampa Bay has had to put the left-hander on the 15-day injured list with left forearm tightness, a development that quickly shifts attention from his progress to his availability.
The move leaves the Rays trying to navigate another early setback with a pitcher they had hoped could stabilize things as he worked back into major league form. To fill the opening, the club recalled right-hander Alex Cook from Triple-A Durham, a straightforward roster response on paper but one that underscores how fragile McClanahans comeback trail has become. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Hit A Familiar Wall In Another Frustrating Loss
Another rough night for the Rays came with a familiar script, one in which the lineup never found a foothold and the opposing starter dictated everything. Cal Quantrill was at the center of it, blanking Tampa Bay over seven innings and limiting the damage to just two singles and two walks while striking out five, as Texas rolled to a 6-0 win and kept the Rays searching for answers at the plate.
Shane McClanahan was locked in a tight game until the fifth, when the Rangers finally cracked it open and shifted the tone for good. The loss only added to the frustration around Tampa Bay, and it also put a spotlight on a matchup that has been especially unfriendly to the Rays whenever Quantrill takes the mound. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Make A Surprising Change In One Area Fans Trusted Most
The Rays have made a notable shakeup in an area that has long been one of the organizations strengths, parting ways with two members of their scouting department. Jeff Johnson, who served as manager of international scouting, and Rigoberto de los Santos, the Dominican Republic regional crosschecker and Santo Domingo area scout, are both out after the changes were first reported by industry sources and shared by Francys Romero on X.
It is a surprising turn for a club that continues to pair a strong major league record with a highly regarded farm system, even after recent trades have chipped away at some of its prospect depth. International scouting has been a crucial part of the Rays identity for years, so any reset there invites attention, especially with the organization still trying to keep its talent pipeline as deep and productive as ever. [Read more 🡒]