6:40pm: Tampa Bay has officially placed McClanahan on the IL, Topkin tweets. The club said they are “in the process of gathering further information” and will provide updates when they become available.
6:13pm: The Rays plan to place Shane McClanahan on the 15-day injured list, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The two-time All-Star felt some soreness on the outside of his forearm during yesterday’s start against the Yankees.
Tampa Bay sent McClanahan for imaging this morning. Topkin that the Rays still don’t have a set diagnosis from initial testing. The 6’1″ left-hander is slated for further evaluation in the coming days but will need at least two weeks on the shelf.
Until there’s more clarity on the issue, the overall timetable remains unknown. Yet even a best-case scenario for the Rays sees them lose arguably their best pitcher for a couple weeks while they battle for a division title. Tampa Bay has gone 26-27 since the start of June, a couple months of average play after their league-best performance through May. As a result, they’ve dropped two games back of the Orioles in the AL East.
They’re still in great shape to secure a playoff spot. The Rays sit three games clear of the second-best Wild Card team and 7.5 up on the top non-playoff club. They’ll need to track down Baltimore to snag a first-round bye, though, and any extended absence from McClanahan would only make that more challenging.
The 26-year-old was on a Cy Young pace last year before a late-season shoulder impingement knocked him to sixth in the voting. He hasn’t been quite as good this season but remains one of the top pitchers in the sport. Through 115 innings, McClanahan carries a 3.29 ERA with a strong 25.8% strikeout rate. He missed a couple weeks earlier in the season with back tightness but returned not long after a minimal stay on the shelf.
Pitching injuries have been an all too familiar occurrence for Tampa Bay this year. The Rays were without Tyler Glasnow early and lost Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen to season-ending surgeries midway through the season. They dealt top first base prospect Kyle Manzardo to Cleveland for Aaron Civale to fortify the starting staff. That acquisition could take on even more importance if McClanahan misses a notable chunk of time. Tampa Bay optioned rookie Taj Bradley to Triple-A after acquiring Civale; he’d seem the likeliest candidate for a recall to take McClanahan’s active roster spot.
The baseball gods will not forgive them for what Cash did to Snell in the WS. Now he’s on track for another Cy Young. How many pitchers have Cy Young awards in multiple leagues?
They don’t have the horses, even with their gimmicky “opening.” All they opened was a can of worms. Isn’t it interesting how everyone is magically in the right place during normal baseball shifts? Nature always corrects itself.
Gaylord Perry, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Roy Halladay and Max Scherzer. That would be elite company for sure.
Snell is a five inning guy. Keeping your era down going seven innings a lot harder.
When ur always at 100plus pitched after five coz u walked six ur no ace let alone cy.
On track for another Cy Young? Do people just forget that Zack Wheeler exists?
There are multiple NL pitchers I’d take over Snell.
Snell has been impressive this year, but he’s leading the league in walks and his advanced numbers scream regression. Acting like he has the CY Young locked up in early August is a massive stretch.
Kershaw has less starts, but has the track record and could be money down the stretch.
Justin Steele has been every bit as good as Snell, and has a better middle infield defense backing him up.
Spencer Strider’s ERA is outpacing his FIP, and if he brings that ERA right around 3, and hits an insane amount of k’s, he will probably take the award from one of the 3 guys mentioned above simply due to the absurdity of the strikeouts and pitching for the league’a top club. Strider could easily have 330 plus k’s, which is entirely likely if he makes 9 more starts (it would give him 31 total), and maintains his current strikeout rate of over 14 k’s per 9 IP. He would have 336 k’s.
I like Gallen for it better, but that’s just because I wanna see the two guys Mozeliak traded for Ozuna win back to back cy Youngs just to make Mozeliak look even worse… so I’m a bit biased… and it’s predominantly because we got Paul Goldschmidt blocking a guy who’s on pace to hit 62 homeruns in 160 minor league games?
Much needed rest. Tactical. Strategic.
Wise move.
Yeah get on that shelf McClanahan. That’s right. Get on that shelf and stay there!
What’s your issue with him?
I hate him.
Funny, he doesn’t think about you at all.
Nobody does unless your worth 100 million…. then you got more “friends” it could make your head spin?
Did he kill a family dog of yours?
The church of scientology did!
We hate you
Why?
Wernt you just yelling about getting on a shelf and staying there? Lol what’s it to you? Juicy gossip? You from New York?
Not as bad as it may seem. His last several starts having been terrible even with decent run support. The only reason that he didn’t get loses was because the Rays bailed him out. The Rays will figure it out.
What is it with Tampa Bay and pitching injuries? This doesn’t sound good. Perhaps Tommy John? Find more meat for the Tampa Bay meat grinder. They seem to use use & abuse their pitchers: churn, churn, churn.
Looks like TB should have gone all in to get Verlander or Max. When will TB splurge to get over the top and win a WS.
You must have not remembered Civale choking against the Yankees in the playoffs last year
I guess he won’t be pitching on 8/12 when it’s “Sugar Shane” Bobblehead day in Tampa, bummer.
Not only do the Rays burn out their pitcher at a high rate, but the former PoBO of the teams that’s been running the Dodgers – Andrew Friedman – is having the same problem with his team. Coincidence?
Been reading for 3-4 years about the number of exceptional young pitchers the Dodgers have in their farm system. Yet this past trading deadline the Dodgers had to trade for 87 year-old Lance Lynn, had a deal for Eduardo Rodriguez but he rejected it, and were trying to trade for other pitchers as well. Meanwhile I’ve lost track of the names of the Dodgers can’t-miss starters…they seem to have gotten injured.
BBBUUURRRNNN!!!
It’s does feel the Rays have gone through a large number of pitchers. Bad timing right after the deadline. Let’s see how they handle this.
I guess getting whacked around by the Yankees is a symptom of a physical ailment.
Rays wet the bed when it came to TDL… too cheap to get ERod, too dumb not to get Blackburn or Matz. Enjoy the fall
Quite possibly the dummest batch of comments in a single thread ever!!!
Well then please shower us with the complete unvarnished truth straight from the prophet’s mouth, sir. Us ignorant ones need your enlightenment.
Well you the self-proclaimed Ignorant SOB so the Man was trying to help.
All I have left is hope that this injury does not eventually lead to TJ for this fabulous arm.
Going for a 2nd opinion. That can’t be good. This absolutely sucks for him especially since he’s already been through it once.