Rays' Shane McClanahan Avoids Serious Injury After Exiting Spring Training Game

The two-time All-Star will begin the season on the injured list.

Shane McClanahan throws a pitch in spring training. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

On Saturday, pitcher Shane McClanahan gave the Tampa Bay Rays a substantial fright in a short outing.

McClanahan exited the Rays' 14–2 exhibition win over the Boston Red Sox with arm pain—an occurrence that raised alarm bells in the wake of his Aug. 2023 Tommy John surgery. However, he appears to have avoided serious injury.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, McClanahan has an inflamed left triceps nerve and will open 2025 on the injured list.

McClanahan "shouldn't miss significant time," Passan wrote Sunday afternoon.

The news should come as a sigh of relief for a fanbase that has waited nearly two calendar years to see its elite talent back in action.

Tampa Bay Rays ace Shane McClanahan has an inflamed nerve in his left triceps, manager Kevin Cash said. Of all the potential outcomes after he left yesterday's game in pain, this is perhaps the best-case scenario. Will start the year on the IL but shouldn't miss significant time.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 23, 2025

After a solid rookie season, McClanahan went 12-8 with a 2.54 ERA and 194 strikeouts in 2022. That performance landed him a sixth-place finish in the Cy Young voting and the starting spot on the American League All-Star team.

Regressing only modestly, he followed that season up with an 11-2 showing in '23; another All-Star selection followed before his season-ending surgery.

Tampa Bay is scheduled to open its season Friday against the Colorado Rockies.

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