Tampa Bay Rays Officially Tab Ace Shane McClanahan as Opening Day Starting Pitcher

Shane McClanahan, who missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, is set to make his third career Opening Day start for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2025.

St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Shane McClanahan (18) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Tropicana Field. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

With a full spring training camp ahead of them, the Tampa Bay Rays have already pegged Shane McClanahan as their Opening Day starting pitcher.

Manager Kevin Cash called it a "pretty easy choice," per the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin. McClanahan and some staff members had been informed of the decision earlier in the week, while team president Matt Silverman let it slip at Fen Fest on Saturday.

McClanahan missed the entire 2024 season recovering from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in August 2023. The 27-year-old is back on the mound in Port Charlotte, though, and he told reporters that he no longer has any restrictions.

#Rays told Shane McClanahan a few days ago he was starting Opening Day vs. #Rockies and shared the decision with some staff. Team president Matt Silverman then mentioned it today during an interview at Fan Fest.
Cash confirmed the news: “A pretty easy choice.”

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) February 15, 2025

Prior to his left elbow injury, McClanahan was on a superstar trajectory.

McClanahan made his MLB debut in 2021, going 10-6 with a 3.43 ERA, 1.273 WHIP and 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings. On top of finishing seventh in AL Rookie of the Year voting, McClanahan had cemented himself as part of the Rays' future.

In 2022, McClanahan made his first All-Star appearance and placed sixth in the AL Cy Young race. He earned a spot in the Midsummer Classic again in 2023 before getting shut down for the season.

McClanahan is 33-16 with a 3.02 ERA, 1.105 WHIP, 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings and a 8.7 WAR through 74 career big league starts. Max Fried and Clayton Kershaw are the only other left-handed pitchers with an ERA lower than McClanahan's since 2021, minimum 400 innings.

The season-opening showdown between the Rays and the Colorado Rockies on March 28 will mark McClanahan's third career Opening Day start. Chris Archer and James Shields are the only Tampa Bay pitchers to log more, each doing so four times.

McClanahan is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA, 1.065 WHIP and 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings on Opening Day.

First pitch from Steinbrenner Field that afternoon is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET.

Of course, fans will get a preview of McClanahan's return before that over the course of Grapefruit League action. Those scrimmages get underway on Feb. 21.

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