The Tampa Bay Rays currently hold the top American League Wild Card slot (and are seven games back of the New York Yankees in the AL East), but there’s concerning news regarding their most valuable player of the 2022 season.
Shane McClanahan was scratched from starting Tuesday night’s Rays game against the Miami Marlins after suffering what the Rays are calling left shoulder impingement, according to Tricia Whitaker of Bally Sports Florida.
The left-hander was warming up in the bullpen and stopped due to discomfort in his pitching arm.
As Whitaker notes, the Rays will have “further imaging” done to learn more specifics of McClanahan’s injury, but anything significant would be devastating for Tampa Bay- and would be awful for McClanahan, of course.
The left-hander has been sensational this season, ranking fifth among AL starting pitchers in wins above replacement (WAR) per Baseball Reference and FanGraphs. His 2.20 ERA ranks second among AL starters and his 2.65 FIP ranks third.
McClanahan, 25, even started the All-Star Game for the AL. That’s an absolutely remarkable feat for a second-year pitcher.
Hopefully, this is a minor injury and McClanahan can continue his fantastic season. A title path would get significantly more difficult for the Rays without their star lefty.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.