'Frustrated' Shane McClanahan Suffers Another Setback on Rehab Journey
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TAMPA, Fla. — it was Aug. 2, 2023 when Shane McClanahan last pitched in a major-league game. And nearly two years later, the All-Star's return to the Tampa Bay Rays' rotation has been pushed back again.
McClanahan has made two rehab starts this summer, but during a 10-pitch bullpen session on Monday in Tampa, he didn't feel right. He has some biceps fatigue, so the Rays cancelled his plan start in Durham on Thursday, and are shutting him down again.
McClanahan needed Tommy John surgery in the fall of 2023 and missed all of the 2024 season. He was throwing great in spring training and scheduled to pitch on Opening Day, but he developed a nerve issue in his triceps in his final spring training outing. He's been out ever since, and now has twice paused his rehab journey.
"Shane, we're going to pull him back. It's more a sore bicep. He's frustrated, and rightfully so,'' Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "He wants to be here, and wants to help us. He could get a ball right back in his hand in the next two or three days. Generally, when we're talkikng about biceps tendinitis, that clears up pretty quick.
"I think it was more the build-up and some fatigue that crept in there. We do not think that it is nerve-related to the bicep. It's the total opposite side. Shane worked really hard throughout the ramp-up, got in some innings, and in his bullpen, he said he just needed a little bit of a break.''
McClanahan, a former University of South Florida pitcher, made his major-league debut during the 2020 postseason. He has a 33-16 record over 74 career starts, with a 3.02 earned run average and a 1.10 WHIP.
This long layoff has been extremely frustrating for him, too. He went to Twitter on Tuesday night to talk directly to his fans. (He has not met with the media during his rehab starts.)
Rays fans. I know you’re frustrated, i am too. This process has been anything but easy coming back from a completely freak injury. I want you to know that I’m busting my ass and doing everything i can to be back to who you know i can be and what i know i can be.
— Shane McClanahan (@Sugar_ShaneM) July 22, 2025
"Rays fans. I know you’re frustrated, i am too.,'' he said. "This process has been anything but easy coming back from a completely freak injury. I want you to know that I’m busting my ass and doing everything i can to be back to who you know i can be and what i know i can be.''
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Tom Brew is the publisher of ''Tampa Bay Rays on SI'' and has been with the Sports Illustrated platform since 2019. He has worked at some of America's finest newspapers, including the Tampa Bay Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He owns eight sites on the "On SI'' network and has written four books.
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