Shane McClanahan Experiencing Difficulties in Return With Rays

There was a lot of excitement about the Tampa Bay Rays' pitching staff heading into the regular season, and rightfully so.

A mix of established veterans and exciting young arms make up the staff. More help is on the way in the minors, with some high-upside youngsters. But the player people are most excited to see is Shane McClanahan.

For the first time since August 2023, he was ready to take a Major League mound for the Rays. And with how well he threw the ball during spring training, there was optimism that he could make a positive impact for the team.

He made four starts during the exhibition season, recording a 2.08 ERA with 15 strikeouts across 13 innings. However, there was one issue that poked up during the spring, and it was walking five players during his work.

Shane McClanahan struggling in early return to mound

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan releasing ball. — Apr 6, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan (18) throws a pitch against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning at Tropicana Field. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

That has unfortunately carried into the regular season, where McClanahan is facing some difficulties in his return to the mound. As Eno Sarris of The Athletic (subscription required) shared, his repertoire is not as menacing in his return from injury.

“It’s not all good news for McClanahan, who lost 20 points of Stuff+ on the fastball due to all the injuries he’s dealt with…The problem has been the command, which has turfed his K-BB, SIERA and DRA,” Sarris wrote.

The talented lefty has made two starts thus far and has thrown only 8.2 innings. Tampa Bay is going to be abundantly cautious with him after missing 2+ seasons, and it will take some time for him to truly round back into shape.

It will be interesting to see how much, if any, of that velocity starts to come back once he is in a rhythm. As Sarris noted, his fastball velocity has dropped two mph, and the pitch isn’t moving as much, losing an inch of ride.

Shane McClanahan experiencing drop in velocity

It isn’t just his four-seamer that has lost steam, with McClanahan’s slider also dropping two mph. In an ideal world, that velocity will start to come back as he gets into pitching shape, because it is impacting his performance.

He has already walked seven batters this season, with a 7.3 BB/9 seemingly being impossible to keep up. Especially when taking into consideration that he had 2.7, 2.1 and 3.2 in his first three Big League campaigns.

Until that gets dialed in, and it may not occur for a few more weeks or even months, a turnaround for McClanahan will be delayed. A drop in velocity mixed with shaky control is a recipe for disaster for a pitcher returning from such a long layoff.