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The Tampa Bay Rays got an encouraging Shane McClanahan update this week, after recovering from a minor injury last week that held him out of the rotation.
McClanahan was pulled from his last start on June 22, and protested before leaving the game. He is a ferocious competitor and did not want to be yanked early, but had early velocity issues and the team wanted to be careful with their ace.
This was #Rays Shane McClanahan as they tried to take him out of the game. He protested it. Showed no obvious signs of injury but velo was down a bit and they were cautious about it.
No apparent injury from what I saw or according to the broadcast upon the initial removal. pic.twitter.com/OH7vOLsHkE
— Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) June 22, 2023
He was later diagnosed with mid-back tightness, and has taken a few days of extra rest to get ready for his next start. McClanahan threw in the bullpen between starts on the Rays roadtrip to Chase Field, and feels he is ready to get back in action, per MLB.com.
“I feel good. I feel ready to go,” McClanahan said. “Definitely a wake-up call. Might have needed to hammer out some more stuff in the training room, address some stuff.”
He hopes this is not a recurring issue, and will focus on preventative treatment with his training staff to prevent any further incident.
McClanahan has been beyond dominant for the Rays, earning him an unreal 11-1 record, and league leading 2.23 ERA. He finished last season with a 2.54 ERA, and is rapidly climbing the board as one of the top pitchers in the big leagues.
The 26-year-old already has 100 strikeouts on the season, and holds the best odds of the field for the AL Cy Young Award at +250. His stock is unlikely to dip with this brief injury scare, and hopefully he will be able to continue strong throughout the season.
