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As the Tampa Bay Rays are making moves with Spring Training right around the corner, there is one thing for certain regarding the ballclub and it's that Shane McClanahan will be making his return hugely. With the Rays always improving their pitching, McClanahan will make his return from Tommy John recovery on Opening Day against the Colorado Rockies as confirmed by manager Kevin Cash.
While some people could be worried that McClanahan needs more time to recover, Cash and the team don't think so as he would say the decision for the pitcher to be the Opening Day started was “A pretty easy choice” according to Marc Topkin. This is no doubt great news for Tampa Bay fans as McClanahan spoke to the media about how he's “glad to be back” and how much he missed playing baseball.
“Last year sucked. It was tough, in all seriousness. It was tough mentally, tough physically. I’m glad to be back,” McClanahan said via The Tampa Bay Times.
“I missed it a lot, man,” McClanahan continued. “I missed being out there, the good and the bad, I just missed competing alongside these guys. It’s cool to be back. It sucks, but I learned a lot last year, so I’m excited to go out and show what I learned.”
As the Rays look to improve further in Spring Training, McClanahan will use the time to polish the finishing touches on his return as before the major injury, he was a productive pitcher.
Rays' Shane McClanahan ready to make an impact upon return
In 2023, he pitched a 3.29 ERA to go along with an 11-2 record and 121 strikeouts as the 27-year-old said he has “evolved as a pitcher.”
“I’ve evolved as a pitcher, as a person, and so I’m going to embrace the guy I am today,” McClanahan said. “There’s a little bit of a little different feel and kind of appreciation I have for the game as opposed to just winning. Obviously, I want to win. I don’t like losing. But I can appreciate what it takes to just be here and be present in the moment, as opposed to always looking forward to what’s next.”
As he looks to pitch in his first game in around two years, he puts his full trust in not only Cash but team pitching coach Kyle Snyder.
“I’ve got a really good pitching coach and manager that are going to take the ball from me when they know to take the ball from me,” McClanahan said via MLB.com. “As a competitor, I’m going to make it hard for them, but at the end of the day, I know they’re looking out for me and my career.”
In 2022, McClanahan even had Cy Young votes as Tampa Bay hopes to get the same pitcher from before the injury.
“We know how talented he is. You put him in a very small category of starting pitchers over the last three or four years,” Cash said. “We’re fortunate that he’s healthy, he’s back, and he certainly set the tone for this first day.”
At any rate, the Rays are looking to improve after having an 80-82 record which put them fourth in the NL East. Opening Day against the Rockies is on March 28.