Sept. 15: McClanahan has formally been activated from the injured list. Fellow lefty Josh Fleming was optioned to Triple-A Durham to open a roster spot.
Sept. 14: The Rays are going to reinstate left-hander Shane McClanahan from the injured list to start tomorrow’s game against the Blue Jays, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
McClanahan, 25, had his Cy Young-caliber season interrupted a couple of weeks ago. He was set to start against the Marlins on August 30 but felt something during his pre-game warmup and never actually made it into the game. He was placed on the 15-day injured list the next day with his injury listed as a shoulder impingement. At that time, manager Kevin Cash expressed confidence that an extended absence wouldn’t be necessary, with that assessment proving to be true as McClanahan is returning after a minimum stint.
McClanahan debuted last year with an excellent 3.43 ERA over 123 1/3 innings, though took his game to another level here in 2022, prior to the injury. He’s currently sporting an ERA of 2.20 through 147 1/3 innings this year, along with incredible strikeout, walk and groundball rates of 32.5%, 5.4% and 52.3%, respectively. He and Verlander seemed to be the frontrunners in the AL Cy Young race, though both of them went on the IL around the same time. Verlander seems poised to return this week as well, allowing that competition to continue, though the injuries have allowed others to gain ground.
If McClanahan is able to avoid any lingering effects of the injury and pick up where he left off, it will be a huge boost for the Rays. They face long odds of repeating as AL East champions since they are currently 6.5 games behind the Yankees with just three weeks left on the schedule. However, they are in the midst of a three-team melee for the Wild Card, with the Jays currently on top but only half a game ahead of the Rays and Mariners. The nearest non-playoff team, the Orioles, are five games back, making it likely that the three teams currently in playoff position will hold on. However, the final positioning will also matter, since the top seed will have home field advantage for all three games (if necessary) in the first round of the playoffs.
McClanahan will jump into the rotation next to Corey Kluber, Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs, with Ryan Yarbrough likely also picking up some bulk work behind an opener. McClanahan would likely be the club’s preferred choice to take the ball in game one of a postseason series, though they will first have to worry about clinching a spot.
Elsewhere on the roster, the news on Ryan Thompson isn’t as good. Topkin relays that the right-hander is done for the season after being diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right elbow. Thompson has already been on the 15-day IL since late August but will likely be transferred to the 60-day IL once the club needs to open a roster spot. He finishes the year with a 3.80 ERA over 42 2/3 innings, along with a 21.5% strikeout rate, 6.1% walk rate and 51.2% ground ball rate.
Good timing. The Blue Jays can’t hit lefties, and McClanahan is a really really good lefty.
Yeah if im the rays I let tor n sea have top seeds. I’ll take the 6th seed and face Cleveland in the opening round. Path of least resistance.
Best of luck next season Sting Rays! Lmao!
Surprised Toronto can’t hit lefties, given how Right-Handed heavy their lineup is. Even if they could, McClanahan is a monster.
@bucsfan0004
Not sure about that. Their wRC+ is 112, meaning they’re creating 12% more runs than league average.
Compare that to 117 against RHP..
They hit better against LHP than the Rays & Mariners.
The Rays don’t hit well. They just pitch better than everyone else.
@pwndroia
11 runs today is not great hitting.
/s
I was mostly downsizing more as a joke. When they hit and pitch, they’re unstoppable
Seems to be a rush job but desperate measures…
From day one they said it was probably a minimum stint, they were not worried. All signs have pointed to nothing serious. So, don’t know where you’re getting this being a desperate measure.
Dano is getting that information from Troll Ave & Ignorance Blvd.
Well, tomorrow’s an automatic loss for the blue jays. Goddamn our lineup is terrible. Gotta get a win tonight.
Says the bandwagon Blue Jay fan
Lol I’m anything but. I watched this team through the rebuild years just as much as I do now. I just didn’t complain because my expectations were low.
Yes, the lineup with the best team OPS in the AL is terrible. Good observation.
I recognize we have the best team OPS, but much like the SF Giants last year, you wouldn’t know it watching the games. Name one hitter on this team who is having a truly great season. Sure, Bo has been solid, but aside from that. Vladdy and Springer have both been way below expectations. Our lineup lacks any real threats.
Offense is way down across MLB. You have to lower your expectations. Yes, there are guys having great seasons but there are far more having seasons well below previous years.
You make a fair point. Vlad has a good OPS+ despite his drop off, so there’s definitely merit to that. Gotta say games have been less entertaining this year with the lower offence. Gotta hope it returns to 2021 level next season, eh?
Your jacket privileges are revoked.
I’m a Sox fan. I would love to be in the Jays position right now. You wanna talk about bad offense, look at the Sox. The bats are terrible and lifeless.
If the Rays always develop their drafted pitchers so well, why do they just trade them for trash once they become expensive?
If you don’t know the answer to that question, you haven’t been paying attention for the last 15 seasons.
“Trash” lol
because thats how they get all theyre new pitchers, by trading the ones they aquired, and they got those pitchers by trading the pitchers they aquired and so on
That’s because the Sting Rays organization is junk.
They may be a lot of things but a junk organization is not one. Since the Yankees rattled off their years of championship teams they have as many division wins as the Rays. So by comparison, the Yankees must be organizational junk too. Can’t even resign their one homegrown player? What’ll the Yankees be when judge walks for a supplemental?
The Yankees are the richest and the most successful organization in sports, they are the furthest thing from junk. Lol. How many championships have you’re beloved Sting Rays won? Zero. Enough said.
Actually, I think the Dodgers have more than the Yankees at the moment.
This is why everybody hates Yankee fans.
The lack of winning is why everyone doesn’t want to be a Sting Ray fan(they’re not the Yankees)
Sting Rays? Never heard of them.
Oh my god please stfu already. No one wants to see the Yankees win but Yankee fans.
Yet again Rays living rent free in your miserable little mind. Are you going to change your handle when Judge is playing in Boston next year?
That’s not happening- Bloom won’t pay Judge
@Hodor 2- nah just making fun of a junk organization, that has never one a championship. Good luck with all of that. Judge playing in Boston? Never happening, only in you’re delusional mind. Lol.
Do the Red Sox still wanna pay Bloom? Do they have enough for the Devers extension? Can’t let him go.
@DrunkTropicana- It really must suck for you seeing all those Yankee fans in Tampa? Have you gotten used to it yet? Lol. I wish you my absolute best! Another loser rooting for a loser organization. It never gets old. Gotcha!
*won. It doesn’t really matter you get it.
Still hilarious the cardinals wanted Liberatore over McClanahan.