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On Saturday, the Tampa Bay Rays finally knew for certain which team they’ll be facing in the 2026 ALCS, with the Cleveland Guardians having completed the comeback from 2-0 down in the ALDS to send their division rival Chicago White Sox home. That series will begin on Monday at 8:00 PM E.T.
However, prior to the start of the ALCS, an unfortunate injury development has beset the Rays. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times posted on X that Shane McClanahan, one of the Rays’ best starting pitchers, has been ruled out for the rest of the postseason due to left forearm tightness.
McClanahan last pitched on the third of September, when he allowed four runs in five innings in a 6-0 loss to the Texas Rangers. The Rays promptly put him on the 15-day injured list after that start. He was mostly healthy for the 2026 season prior to suffering that injury, which kept him out for the final few weeks of the regular season as well as the ALDS.
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The Rays were cautious with McClanahan all season long. They were giving him up to five or six days of rest in between some of his starts, and they were wary of overtaxing him considering that he had missed the rest of the 2024 and 2025 seasons due to various serious arm injuries.
In August 2023, McClanahan underwent Tommy John surgery, which knocked him out for the entirety of the 2024 campaign. In 2025, the southpaw hurler attempted to make a comeback before a nerve injury in his left triceps forced him to go under the knife yet again, and he ended up missing the entirety of that season as well.
This makes the fact that McClanahan, despite his injury history, put up a solid 3.36 ERA in 24 starts (118.0 innings) in 2026 that much more impressive. But all he could do now is cheer on from the sidelines as the Rays look to find their breakthrough and win the World Series.
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