Shane McClanahan's Tommy John Surgery Continues Scary Trend For Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays have won the second most games in the American League over the past four seasons. Their pitching staff also boasts the third-lowest ERA in baseball in that time.

But since 2020, Tampa Bay has fallen victim to generationally brutal injury luck on the mound.

Ace Shane McClanahan was placed on the injured list with left forearm tightness back on Aug. 3, and it was announced Tuesday night that he would need to undergo Tommy John surgery. Before the All-Star got hurt, he was in the running to win the AL Cy Young, going 11-2 with a 3.29 ERA.

McClanahan's absence is nothing new for the Rays, whose rotation has been ravaged by injuries all season long.

Jeffrey Springs made three starts early in 2023, going 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA before he was shut down in April. The lefty would undergo Tommy John surgery not long after.

Shane Baz was ranked as the Rays No. 1 prospect in 2022, in addition to coming in as MLB Pipeline's No. 12 prospect in all of baseball. Baz underwent Tommy John surgery last September, though, and he has yet to make an appearance at any level since.

Just a few weeks before Baz went under the knife, former top-five prospect Brendan McKay had Tommy John surgery of his own. 32-year-old reliever Andrew Kittredge also underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2022.

Tyler Glasnow had Tommy John surgery in August 2021, and he has only been able to start 63 games across six seasons in Tampa Bay as a result of his numerous injuries.

The Rays have had eight players total undergo Tommy John surgery to repair torn UCLs since 2020. That doesn't include the six pitchers in Tampa Bay's farm system who met the same fate, nor the two who elected for an internal brace procedure instead of Tommy John – reliever Nick Anderson in 2021 and starter Drew Rasmussen earlier this year.

Like Springs, Rasmussen got off to a red-hot start in 2023, posting a 4-2 record and 2.26 ERA through eight starts before hitting the injured list and missing the rest of the season.

The Rays are currently 72-50, which puts them 3.0 games back of the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. While Tampa Bay has a 6.5-game cushion in the Wild Card race, the club will still be caught in a major playoff race over the next seven weeks without McClanahan, Springs or Rasmussen.

Glasnow, Zach Eflin and trade deadline acquisition Aaron Civale will have to spearhead the Rays' rotation down the stretch. That trio does have a combined 3.19 ERA between them in 2023, but Tampa Bay is running out of depth behind them.