Rays' Shane McClanahan Returning is Encouraging for Long-Term Outlook

The Tampa Bay Rays saw their star pitcher return from the injured list on Monday and that is a very important thing for them long-term.

Aug 17, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan (12) throws a pitch in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Tampa Bay Rays started the new week on a positive note and saw the return of a key player as well. 

It was a bit of a strange last week for the Rays. Tampa Bay wrapped up a lengthy nine-game road trip, in which they went a perfect 9-0. However, as they returned home, they faced a Baltimore Orioles team that is suddenly surging and has played well against them this year. 

Despite a little bit of a slip-up at home, the Rays are still the team to beat in the American League with the best record right now by a somewhat comfortable margin. 

On Monday, Tampa Bay was not only able to avoid being swept, but they saw their star pitcher come off the injured list. Even though it might not have been the best performance of the year for Shane McClanahan, it was an encouraging step in the right direction. 

McClanahan Makes Encouraging Step Back 

Jul 30, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan (18) throws a pitch against the Texas Rangers in the second inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the win on Monday was an important one for the Rays to avoid the sweep against the Orioles, the big picture item from the game was the return of McClanahan. 

The southpaw has been out for a couple of weeks now with some back tightness and, after a short stint on the injured list, looked pretty good in his first start back. While he did allow a moon shot of a home run to Coby Mayo and three runs overall in 3.1 innings of work, the important thing was that he felt well and the velocity was there for him as well. 

While the left-hander would have loved to pitch deeper into the game, he didn’t throw that much in his rehab start in Triple-A, and Tampa Bay seemingly didn’t want him to reach the 60-pitch mark. 

Going forward, it is really important for McClanahan to be healthy if the Rays are going to achieve their new lofty goals for the rest of the season. Overall, the southpaw has been fantastic this season, especially when considering he missed so much time the last couple of years. 

Overall, in 2026 so far, he has totaled a 9-6 record and a 3.25 ERA. As Tampa Bay marches toward the playoffs and hopes to be successful in October, they will be relying heavily on McClanahan to help carry them.