2025 will go down as another lost season for one veteran pitcher.
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash revealed to reporters that left-hander Shane McClanahan had a surgical procedure on Monday to address a lingering nerve issue in his left arm. As a result, McClanahan’s season is over, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
McClanahan, 28, is a two-time MLB All-Star. He went 12-8 with a 2.54 ERA during the 2022 season (finishing sixth in AL Cy Young voting that year) and followed that up by going 11-2 with a 3.29 ERA in the 2023 season.
But unfortunately, McClanahan has not been back on the mound since then. He underwent Tommy John surgery in Aug. 2023, costing him all of the 2024 campaign. McClanahan was supposed to return for Tampa Bay to begin the 2025 season but suffered a triceps injury in spring training that had sidelined him for the whole year up to this point.
Now it appears that McClanahan is dealing with a more worrisome issue, especially if there is nerve damage involved. For what it is worth, the Rays still have two more years of club control on McClanahan before he potentially become a free agent after the 2027 season.
McClanahan, a former first-round draft pick, will now have to look ahead to a possible return in 2026. The news of his surgery marks just the latest gut punch for the 57-62 Rays, who really have not had very good luck with their pitchers this season.
