Two-time All-Star Shane McClanahan, the Tampa Bay Rays’ opening-day starter, exited his final exhibition start Saturday in pain after throwing a pitch and manager Kevin Cash said on the game’s radio broadcast that the left-hander suffered an injury in the triceps area.
McClanahan, 27, last pitched in the major leagues on Aug. 2, 2023, and underwent his second Tommy John surgery 18 days later. He sat out all of last season but came to camp confident he’d make his opening day assignment. McClanahan’s fastball was clocked at 99 mph in his first Grapefruit League outing.
Yet Saturday, he winced in pain after throwing a pitch to the 10th Boston Red Sox batter he faced, hopping twice and then leaving with a trainer.
Cash told the Rays’ radio broadcast that McClanahan will undergo an MRI on Sunday to determine the injury’s severity. He was scheduled to be the Rays’ opening day starter Friday, when they play host to the Colorado Rockies in their first game at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field, their temporary home after hurricanes rendered Tropicana Field unplayable.
McClanahan was the American League starter in the 2022 All-Star Game and also made the AL squad in 2023. While the Rays brought six projected starting pitchers to camp and can absorb any extended absence from a numbers standpoint, the loss of their once and current ace would be devastating for a club looking to return to the playoffs.
McClanahan had his first Tommy John reconstruction when he was 17; he had a stabilizing internal brace inserted during his second procedure.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
