Tampa Bay Rays Get Disheartening Injury News On Starting Pitcher

Tampa Bay Rays southpaw ace Shane McClanahan underwent a procedure to address left triceps nerve irritation and will not pitch this season, Rays manager Kevin Cash said Monday.

The procedure is not a repair but is meant to relieve the afflicted area, according to Cash.

It is the latest in a series of setbacks that have kept McClanahan off the mound for the Rays all season. The 28-year-old suffered the injury in his final spring training outing on March 22 against the Boston Red Sox, and he has been adversely affected since. 

“I know he's frustrated,” Cash said before Tampa Bay’s series opener vs. the Athletics in West Sacramento, Calif. “We're all frustrated and disappointed by that, but hopefully there's some relief to the nerve area. It’s not anything that involves a bone or structure; it's more a slice. He should be pretty mobile, pretty quick.”

McClanahan showed signs of returning to the mound for the Rays when he made his way to the Florida Complex League on July 8 before reporting to Triple-A Durham for a rehab assignment on July 13. However, he struggled in his brief outings with the Bulls. McClanahan started two games, allowing seven hits, four earned runs and two home runs in 2.1 innings.

McClanahan, a two-time All-Star, hasn't pitched for the Rays since Aug. 2, 2023. The next day, he landed on the 15-day injured list due to left forearm tightness. After receiving multiple opinions, McClanahan underwent Tommy John surgery on Aug. 21, marking the first such operation of his MLB career and a difficult repeat of the surgery he had as a freshman in college at South Florida.

In his three seasons with the Rays, McClanahan has a 33-16 record with a 3.02 ERA, 456 strikeouts and 116 walks in 404.2 innings.