TODAY : McClanahan will begin the season on the 15-day injured list, Rays manager Kevin Cash told John Romano ( ) and other reporters, but tests revealed that the left-hander is suffering only from a nerve problem in his triceps area. The plan is to c alm the nerve down and then see how he progre ses, get a ball back in his hand. Probably the best news we could have heard , Cash said. MARCH 22 : The Rays suffered a major injury scare this afternoon when southpaw exited his start in the third inning due to what the Rays later announced as triceps tightne s. relays that the i sue is not thought to be related to his recent elbow surgery and that the lefty will undergo imaging on Sunday to determine the severity of the i sue. Its Keith Hernandez Jersey a concerning situation for any pitcher, but a serious injury would be particularly devastating for McClanahan given that he mi sed the final two months of the 2023 campaign and the entirety of the 2024 season while rehabbing his aforementioned Tommy John surgery. When healthy, the soon to be 28-year-old hurler is on the shortlist for the best young arms in the sport, with a career 3.02 ERA (130 ERA+) and 3.36 FIP in 404 2/3 innings of work since he made his big league debut back in 2022. The southpaws career 28% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate further solidify him as a clear top-of-the-rotation arm, and the Rays currently have him poised to serve as the ace of a loaded rotation that also features arms like and . Those plans appear to have now been scuttled, however, depending on whats next for McClanahan. The severity of the i sue and a potential timetable for his return wont be completely clear until McClanahans tests come back. Even so, it should surprise no one if the Rays decide to proceed cautiously with their prized left-hander coming off of surgery. Even if the i sue proves to be relatively insignificant, it would be understandable if the club decided to play it safe and place McClanahan on the injured list to open the season. Theyre reasonably well equipped to do so if they choose, with Rasmu sen, Pepiot, , , and all healthy and ready to contribute to the rotation. Beyond that quintet, the club also has depth options such as and in the fold as well as non-roster veteran . Even with that depth in place to handle an absence from McClanahan, a significant injury would be a gut punch for a Rays club that will already need to exceed expectations to compete in an AL East division that figures to be dominated by the Orioles, Yankees, and Red Sox this year after big offseasons for all three clubs. Comparatively, the Rays offseason was somewhat modest as they added only and to the fold while shipping out in a deal that brought back Boyle. Strong as the clubs rotation looks on paper, the Rays figure to lean on it heavily this year after losing both and from the lineup at last years trade deadline, leaving extra weight on the shoulders of and as the only established veterans left in an otherwise young and unproven lineup. If the injury proves serious enough that the Rays need to consider adding from outside the organization to deepen their rotation mix, a handful of viable options such as and remain available in free agency. With that being said, any big league signings could be pushing it for the perennially low-budget Rays and they might instead prefer to wait and see if a non-roster invitee like or returns to the open market after opting out of a minor league deal. Jose Azocar Jersey
Click here Click here Click here