ST. PETERSBURG — Left-hander Shane McClanahan will come off the 15-day injured list Monday night and start the Tampa Bay Rays’ series finale against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field, his first Major League start since July 30.
McClanahan exited his July 30 start against the Rangers in the fourth inning due to left mid-back tightness and was placed on the IL the following day. The Rays expected a short absence, and McClanahan confirmed that timeline by throwing three perfect innings in a rehab game for Triple-A Durham on Tuesday before rejoining the club at the Trop over the weekend.
To add McClanahan to the active roster, Tampa Bay will need to make a corresponding move. One option is sending down right-hander Joe Boyle, who threw 84 pitches over 3 1/3 innings out of the bullpen in Sunday’s 10-2 loss to the Orioles after being called up from Triple-A Durham on Saturday.
McClanahan slots back into a rotation that already features Drew Rasmussen, Nick Martinez, Freddy Peralta and Ian Seymour. The only starter still sidelined is right-hander Griffin Jax, who landed on the injured list with right elbow discomfort.
Jax received an injection to “calm the back of the elbow down” after undergoing testing with Dr. Keith Meister last week. He has resumed playing catch and is expected to begin mapping out a timeline for his return to the mound, which would give Tampa Bay its full rotation for the final quarter of the season.