The Tampa Bay Rays have not fared well against the Baltimore Orioles at the start of their four-game set at Tropicana Field.
All of the positive momentum the Rays created on their nine-game West Coast trip, going undefeated against the Colorado Rockies, Seattle Mariners and Athletics, has been wiped away with three straight losses on their home field, including a 10-2 loss on Sunday afternoon.
However, Tampa Bay will get a boost in the series finale on Monday, as they look to avoid the sweep. Starting pitcher Shane McClanahan is set to return to the action against the Orioles, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Times on X.
McClanahan has been on the injured list since suffering a back ailment during his start against the Texas Rangers on July 30. He exited that contest early with mid-back soreness, and at the time, the injury wasn’t thought to be overly serious.
That has turned out to be true, as McClanahan will make his return to the Big League mound only 18 days after the injury occurred. Only one rehab start was needed with Triple-A Durham before he returned to the rotation.
Given the extensive injury history that McClanahan has, it was a major relief that he was dealing with a back ailment, nothing to do with his arm. He suffered an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery, which is why he missed the 2024 campaign.
His attempt to return in 2025 was cut short when he had to deal with a nerve issue in his elbow. Unable to recover, he had to undergo another procedure, costing him that year as well before returning healthy in 2026.
In 20 starts this season, McClanahan has picked up right where he left off. He has a 3.09 ERA across 99 innings with 91 strikeouts, a 3.35 FIP and 1.121 WHIP. 1.3 bWAR has been produced as well, with his 135 ERA+ being the second-best single-season mark of his career.
This is great news for the Rays, who lost another member of their starting rotation, Griffin Jax, just days after McClanahan went down. He was dealing with some elbow soreness, which resulted in him being scratched from his start against the Mariners on Aug. 8.
