TAMPA, Fla. — One day after Tyler Glasnow’s return to the rotation, the Tampa Bay Rays got the news they dreaded about left-hander Shane McClanahan. McClanahan is scheduled to have Tommy John surgery this coming Monday and will likely miss the entire 2024 season.
McClanahan is not the first Rays pitcher to need Tommy John surgery this year. Earlier this season, Jeffrey Springs was shut down and underwent Tommy John surgery after going 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA in three starts. And starter Drew Rasmussen also saw his season end when he needed season-ending elbow surgery in July.
This also isn’t McClanahan’s first Tommy John surgery. He had one previously in 2016 when he was a freshman at the University of South Florida.
Ulises Sambrano and Kevin Weiss of Locked On Rays discussed the loss of McClanahan on Wednesday’s episode.
Weiss called it ‘a devastating blow to the team and the fan base for the present and the near-future,’ while Sambrano said, “We knew this was most likely what was going to happen.”
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They spoke about the initial injury—forearm tightness, which is usually a precursor to Tommy John surgery—and how McClanahan saw a bunch of doctors for different opinions, and when that happens, the outcome is never good.
This is awful news for the Rays and McClanahan, who had been their ace all season. He made 21 starts and was 11-2 with a 3.29 ERA and was in the AL Cy Young discussion. The 26-year-old last pitched on August 2 against the New York Yankees when he left the start after experiencing tightness in his left forearm.
And in what seems like a disturbing trend for the Rays, McClanahan is the sixth Rays pitcher to undergo the surgery since 2020. There were also six pitchers in the farm system who also had the surgery. Rasmussen couldn’t have a third Tommy John, so he opted for an internal brace, as did reliever Nick Anderson in 2021.
So now Glasnow, who had Tommy John in 2021, staying healthy is even more important for the Rays. Zach Eflin and Aaron Civale, who was traded to the Rays at the trade deadline, join Glasnow in the rotation, but it’s imperative all three players stay healthy down the stretch because the Rays are running out of pitching depth.
They’re currently still up 6.5 games in the AL Wild Card standings, but if they suffer another significant injury to their pitching staff, other teams could have a chance to make up some ground and surpass them.
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