The Tampa Bay Rays are still battling it out with the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. But the team is now facing a major uphill climb. It has mostly everything to do with injuries to the starting rotation.
Ace Shane McClanahan is the latest victim. According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the 2022 American League Cy Young candidate will undergo Tommy John Surgery. Per the report, he’ll miss the remainder of the 2023 campaign and likely all of next season.
A two-time All-Star, McClanahan left his Aug. 2 start against the New York Yankees with forearm discomfort. While this isn’t a wildly unfathomable outcome, the impact it will have on Tampa Bay moving forward is real.
McClanahan was pitching to an 11-2 record with a 3.29 ERA and 1.18 WHIP at the time of the injury. That came after a dazzling sophomore campaign in 2022.
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Shane McClanahan stats (2022): 12-8 record, 2.54 ERA, 0.93 WHIP
The 26-year-old former first-round pick ultimately finished sixth in the American League Cy Young voting. McClanahan’s injury comes after fellow Rays starters Jeffrey Springs (Tommy John Surgery) and Drew Rasmussen (flexor tendon surgery) were already lost for the season.
Tampa Bay entered Tuesday’s action with a 72-49 record and three games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. The team holds a 3.5-game lead over the defending World Series champion Houston Astros for the top wild card spot.
Unfortunately, starting pitching is now a major concern for Kevin Cash’s squad. Tyler Glasnow will now take over as the ace with Zach Eflin and the recently acquired Aaron Civale as mainstays. Look for the Tampa Bay Rays to also bank on Taj Bradley down the stretch. He was just optioned to the minors after an up-and-down start to his career (5-7 record, 5.67 ERA, 1.41 WHIP).