Tampa Bay southpaw Shane McClanahan started the 2022 All-Star Game for the American League but was … [+]
Tampa Bay’s bid for its first world championship took a serious hit this week with another injury to All-Star pitcher Shane McClanahan.
According to Rays manager Kevin Cash, the left-handed starter has left forearm tightness likely to keep him out for the rest of the year – probably including the playoffs.
Cash told the Tampa Bay Times that McClanahan could even face Tommy John elbow surgery that would sideline him for most if not all of the 2024 campaign.
All depends upon the results of a pending examination by a second specialist, who could also recommend flexor tendor surgery or the removal of loose bodies in the arm. For now, McClanahan is on the 15-day injured list.
“Everything is on the table,” the manager told reporters about the pitcher, who previously had Tommy John surgery in 2015.
McClanahan is 11-2 with a 3.29 earned run average in 21 starts this season. The two-time All-Star has a 33-16 lifetime mark and 3.02 ERA in a career now in its third season.
The 6’1″ lefty, earning $737,000, cannot become a free agent until 2028. The Rays began play Tuesday with a record of 69-46, second in the American League East but three games games behind the front-running Baltimore Orioles.
Persistent pitching troubles have ruffled the Rays ever since they opened this season with a record-tying 13 straight victories. Tampa Bay last won a pennant in the pandemic-shortened season of 2020 but has never won a World Series. One of six teams that has never won a title, Tampa Bay first reached the final round in 2008.
The frugal franchise, known for getting maximum mileage from minimum expenditures, opened this season with a payroll of $78.1 million, less than the combined salaries of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. Only two teams paid their players less.
Considering their bout of pitching injuries, Tampa Bay’s ability to stay afloat has been remarkable. Both Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen needed season-ending surgery and Josh Fleming joined them on the Injured List in May and hasn’t returned.
At the moment, their starting rotation consists of Tyler Glasnow, Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale, Zack Littell, and a giant question-mark.
Eflin, signed as a free agent, has been their most consistent starter after McClanahan and the oft-injured Glasnow is a standout when healthy, though he has never pitched more than 112 innings in a season.
Aaron Civale arrived in Tampa Bay just in time, as the Rays’ pitching staff has been ravaged by … [+]
The Rays were fortunate to fortify their front line with the surprise acquisition of Civale from Cleveland before the Aug. 1 trading deadline. He was the best pitcher on the Guardians this year.
Cash could get more help from prospect Taj Bradley, whose first 16 starts with the Rays resulted in a 5.67 earned run average, or Fleming, who had a 4.86 mark before reporting to rehab in the minors, where he is now readying for a return to Tampa Bay.
Losing McClanahan for any length of time hurts. A control artist who keeps the ball on the ground, he was sixth in the voting for the 2022 American League Cy Young Award.
If he needs Tommy John surgery, with recovery time often 18 months, he won’t return until 2005. Even flexor tendon surgery might cost him a year on the sidelines.
The 26-year-old Maryland native turned pro after Tampa Bay drafted him in the first round of the 2015 amateur draft off the University of South Florida campus. He broke into the big leagues in 2021 and has made 74 starts since.
He was leading the majors with an .846 winning percentage when sidelined by his current injury.
McClanahan is virtually certain to qualify for salary arbitration as a Super Two player this winter, when he will mark the first of four arbitration seasons before he becomes eligible for free agency.