Rays place McClanahan on IL with left forearm tightness, September 5

Shane McClanahan reported left forearm tightness after five innings in a loss to Texas on September 4, leading the Tampa Bay Rays to place him on the 15-day injured list on September 5, 2026. Right-hander Alex Cook was recalled from Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move.

McClanahan, 29, carries a 3.36 ERA over 118 innings in 2026. His removal marks the second IL placement of the season; he missed two starts in late July due to mid-back tightness.

Manager Kevin Cash said McClanahan reported tightness and stiffness after the fifth inning. "Anytime a guy talks about his arm, we're going to do right by him," Cash stated per MLB.com. Cash added: "Shane's a big part of what we're trying to accomplish. I'm hoping that with a couple days down, lets the doctors talk and rest that we're in a good spot soon."

McClanahan characterized the issue as precautionary. According to MLB.com, he said he felt "a little tightness, maybe fatigue" after the fifth inning and explained the decision this way: "As of last night, we made the decision as a team to not let this compound, not let this snowball and kind of try to nip it in the bud quick." He indicated he does not believe the setback is severe and acknowledged uncertainty about whether imaging will be performed.

The IL placement comes as McClanahan's recent performance has declined. Over his past seven starts, he has completed fewer than six innings in each and posted a 4.78 ERA, per MLB.com. He allowed four earned runs over five innings in the loss that preceded his placement.

McClanahan has not pitched since August 2024, missing the past two seasons due to multiple arm injuries including Tommy John surgery in August 2023. Cash's framing of the move emphasized McClanahan's recovery: "We're just talking about a guy that hadn't pitched in quite some time. I think he's put together a really impressive season to date and hopefully, it's just going to continue with some time spent on the IL."

The Rays entered September 5 with the best record in the American League at 83-57, three games ahead of the Yankees in the AL East. The team ranks fifth in the majors in rotation ERA at 3.61. Per MLB.com, many of the Rays' other rotation arms, Drew Rasmussen, Nick Martinez, Griffin Jax, and Ian Seymour, have already surpassed or are nearing their career highs in innings pitched as big league starters.