Tampa Bay Rays Take Tough Hit On Injury Front
BREAKING: #Rays Shane McClanahan has left forearm tightness and is headed to the 15-day IL.
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) September 4, 2026
The left-hander, making an excellent comeback this season after missing two years due to Tommy John surgery and a subsequent nerve procedure, has been placed on the 15-day injured list with "left forearm tightness."
Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times says McClanahan is holding out hope that it isn't a big deal, and that "he hopes to pitch again this season."
#Rays McClanahan said his initial sense, and that of team officials, is that this forearm issue isn’t serious and he hopes to pitch again this season. He said it was more tightness than pain, but also said he didn’t want to speculate on what that could mean.
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) September 4, 2026
The southpaw called it more tightness than pain, but anytime a pitcher tries to assure us that he "hopes to pitch again this season," it just doesn't sound good.
McClanahan is 10-7 with a 3.36 ERA this season with a 1.12 WHIP and a 106:39 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
This marks his second IL stint of 2026, following a brief absence in August due to mid-back tightness. He sat out the entire 2024 and 2025 seasons after TJ surgery in August of 2023. It was his second Tommy John, after having it in 2016, missing his freshman season at University of South Florida.
Now 29, McClanahan is a two-time All-Star with a career 3.10 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over his four big league seasons.
The Rays have to hope that Freddy Peralta is back to his ace-like form to pick up the slack for McClanahan near the top of the rotation. Peralta struggled mightily all season with the Mets, then was demolished in his first start after being acquired by Tampa at the trade deadline.
But Peralta has mostly settled down since then, and has allowed just 1 run in his past two starts, covering 12 innings.