The Tampa Bay Rays have placed left-handed pitcher Shane McClanahan (triceps) on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday. McClanahan suffered this injury during his spring training start on Saturday afternoon. He left the contest early in pain after throwing a pitch. After the contest, he was diagnosed with a nerve-related injury and was not given a definitive timetable. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring his status, but should not expect him back on the mound soon. As a result, this will open a spot in the starting rotation for Drew Rasmussen, who was not guaranteed a spot in the rotation. McClanahan was working his way back from Tommy John surgery. He was unable to pitch at all in 2024. In the 2023 season, the southpaw posted a 3.29 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP. He is still worth stashing in all formats as he will carry high strikeout upside when he returns.
Shane McClanahan Feeling Better, Still No Timetable For A Return
Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan (triceps) said that his arm is already feeling better on Monday, but there's no timetable for his return from nerve irritation in his triceps that will land him on the injured list to begin the regular season. He's waiting for the nerve to calm down. "Granted, situation could be a lot worse. I'm very frustrated that I'm going to be missing a little more time," McClanahan said. The 27-year-old southpaw was pulled from his Grapefruit League start early on Saturday due to nerve irritation in his triceps, and while he may have escaped something very serious, the fact that McClanahan is without a timetable to resume throwing means he could easily miss the first month of the season, if not more. McClanahan has already had Tommy John surgery twice as well, so fantasy managers are going to be very hesitant to pull the trigger on him in drafts this week.
Shane McClanahan Diagnosed With Inflamed Nerve In Triceps
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan has an inflamed nerve in his left triceps, says manager Kevin Cash. He will still begin the year on the IL, but shouldn't miss significant time. This is great news for the lefty and for fantasy managers, who feared the worst after he left his most recent Spring Training start with the injury. After missing all of 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, he will be looking to get back to his 2022 form, when he finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting. He posted a 2.54 ERA and 0.93 WHIP with 194 strikeouts in 166 innings during that year and followed it up with a 3.29 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 2023 before suffering his elbow injury. He is one of the most exciting arms when healthy, and should be one of the highest-priority IL stashes to begin the season
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan (triceps) is set to undergo imaging on Sunday and is expected to miss some time. McClanahan exited his start early on Saturday with a triceps injury. Fantasy manager should continue to pay close attention to his status as he exited Saturday's contest in pain. McClanahan is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, which kept him sidelined during the entire 2024 season. However, he has performed very well through camp and was recently named Tampa Bay's Opening Day starter. During the 2022 season, McClanahan enjoyed a breakout campaign as he held a strong 2.54 ERA with a 0.93 WHIP across 166 1/3 innings. He tallied an impressive 194 punchouts. In 2023, McClanahan held a 3.29 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP across 115 frames. Drew Rasmussen will likely enter the starting rotation if the southpaw were to miss time.
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan (undisclosed) exited Saturday's contest early after throwing just 41 pitches. Before exiting, McClanahan was in pain and waved to the bench to exit the contest. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to his status, as the team will likely provide an update after the contest. The 27-year-old missed the entire 2024 campaign due to Tommy John surgery but is slated to be Tampa Bay's Opening Day starter. During camp, McClanahan has logged seven shutout innings with a 4:8 BB:K. The South Florida product made the American League All-Star team during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. In 2022, McClanahan enjoyed a breakout campaign, as he logged a career-high 166 1/3 innings to the tune of a 2.54 ERA and a stellar 0.93 WHIP. If McClanahan were to miss time, Drew Rasmussen could see starting opportunities.
Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan (elbow) threw his first live batting practice session of spring training on Tuesday and was clocking in at up to 97-98 mph, according to the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin. McClanahan missed the entire 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but the 27-year-old southpaw is already looking good in camp and has been named the team's Opening Day starter on March 28 against the Colorado Rockies. He's not expected to have any restrictions during spring training, but the Rays will surely cap his innings around 150 in 2025, which limits his fantasy upside. Still, McClanahan should be rostered in all formats and is a top-40 starting pitcher at RotoBaller. McClanahan showed ace potential before his second TJ surgery and has a 3.02 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in his three big-league seasons.
According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan has been named the Opening Day starter. Manager Kevin Cash noted it was a "pretty easy choice." McClanahan missed the entire 2024 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery he underwent in August 2023. The southpaw made the All-Star game in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He enjoyed his best campaign in 2022, where he held a 2.54 ERA with a 0.93 WHIP across 166 1/3 innings. He tallied 194 punchouts and only served up 38 free passes. Then, in 2023, McClanahan posted a 3.29 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP across 115 innings of work. The left-hander is not expected to face any restrictions during spring training, but he may be given a slight innings limit during the regular season. Nonetheless, fantasy managers should draft McClanahan when looking for strikeout upside.
Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan (elbow) told Bally Sports Florida's Ryan Bass on Wednesday morning that he is "100%" ready to go for spring training with zero restrictions. McClanahan was seen on Wednesday throwing warm-up tosses before his first bullpen session of spring training. The 27-year-old southpaw starter had Tommy John surgery in August of 2023 and missed all of 2024 as a result. The former first-rounder and two-time All-Star has already exhibited ace potential for fantasy managers, but his draft stock will be down in 2025 since he's expected to be limited to around 150 innings this year. In his three years in the big leagues with the Rays, McClanahan has gone 33-16 with a 3.02 ERA (3.36 FIP), a 1.10 WHIP and 456:116 K:BB in 404 2/3 frames over 74 starts. Fantasy managers should treat him as a low-end No. 3 starter/high-end No. 4 starter in upcoming drafts.
Rays Expect Shane McClanahan To Throw Around 150 Innings Next Year
Tampa Bay Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said on MLB Network that the team expects left-hander Shane McClanahan (elbow) to throw "150-ish" innings in his return to action in 2025. McClanahan had his second Tommy John surgery in August of 2023 and didn't pitch at all for the Rays this past season as a result. However, the 27-year-old southpaw has been working through a normal offseason throwing program and should be ready to go in 2025, barring a setback. Look no further than right-hander Walker Buehler's struggles in 2024 in his return from a second Tommy John surgery to see the risks involved with rostering McClanahan in fantasy in 2025. Before his second elbow surgery, McClanahan was a fantasy ace, though, making back-to-back All-Star teams in 2022 and 2023 and finishing sixth in the AL Cy Young voting in 2022.
Shane McClanahan Expected To Be Ready For Spring Training
Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan (elbow) is expected to have a normal, healthy offseason after completing his rehab program from Tommy John Surgery on Sept. 25 by throwing 15 to 16 pitches in a live batting practice session at Tropicana Field. McClanahan looked good during that session and was hitting 94 to 95 mph. He had his second TJ surgery back on Aug. 21 of 2023 and missed the entire 2024 season for the Rays. The 27-year-old southpaw has been an All-Star twice and is expected to be fully ready for the start of spring training in February. As long as he doesn't have any setbacks during the spring, McClanahan will open the start of the 2025 regular season atop Tampa's starting rotation. Although McClanahan has high-end fantasy upside when healthy, he'll also probably be on a strict pitch count early on.
Shane McClanahan
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Rays
