Tampa Bay Rays Re-instate One Injured Pitcher and Officially Lose Shane McClanahan For Regular Season

The Tampa Bay Rays enter play on Saturday at 70-48 on the season and 2.0 games back of the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. They also got a mixed-back of news on Saturday as they re-instated left-handed pitcher Josh Fleming from the injured list and transferred ace Shane McClanahan to the 60-day injured list.

That injured list stay for McClanahan now means that he'll be ineligible to return at all during the regular season. He's on the shelf with a forearm issue.

Rays Reinstate Josh Fleming, Transfer Shane McClanahan To 60-Day IL https://t.co/rbo3Et69lp pic.twitter.com/vA5uprAOph
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) August 12, 2023

It's a devastating turn-of-events for Tampa Bay, who is already out Drew Rasmussen and Jeffrey Springs for the rest of the season as well. Both players underwent elbow operations and there is fear that McClanahan could suffer the same fate.

Named an All-Star this season, he finishes the regular season at 11-2 with a 3.29 ERA. He struck out 121 batters in 115.0 innings. He could return in the playoffs, but that feels unlikely given the circumstances.

As for Fleming, he'll help to rebuild some of the pitching depth lost. He made 11 appearances this year before getting hurt and is 1-0 with a 4.62 ERA. The 27-year-old is 18-13 lifetime with a 4.86 ERA. He debuted during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and helped the Rays advance to the World Series, where they were beaten by the Dodgers.

The Rays will be back in action on Saturday afternoon at 4:10 p.m. ET. They'll host the Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field as Gavin Williams (CLE) pitches against Shawn Armstrong (TBR).

Follow Fastball on FanNation in social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also subscribe to "The Payoff Pitch" podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.