DURHAM, N.C. — Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan retired all nine batters he faced in a rehab start for Triple-A Durham, throwing three perfect innings as he moves toward a return from the 15-day injured list.
McClanahan, who was placed on the IL with left mid-back tightness, needed only 30 pitches to carve through the Memphis Redbirds lineup in order. He topped out at 97.4 mph with his fastball and averaged 95.7 mph — a tick above his 95.6 mph season average in the majors. He struck out two and generated whiffs on five of 16 swings, a 31% rate, including swings and misses on all three swings against his changeup.
“Very pleased with the way Mac threw the ball,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said from West Sacramento, where Tampa Bay is finishing a nine-game road trip. “It looked like the velocity and all the offspeed offerings were right in line, so very encouraged by that.”
The rehab outing came exactly one year after Cash delivered far grimmer news about his star pitcher at Sutter Health Park. McClanahan missed all of 2024 after Tommy John surgery and did not pitch in 2025 due to a nerve issue in his left triceps. Before landing on the IL, he had posted a 3.09 ERA across 20 starts for the Rays this season.
Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said in a radio appearance that McClanahan had thrown two innings in a simulated game and was slated for three innings in his next outing, making the Durham rehab start proceed exactly as planned.
McClanahan is set to return to Tampa Bay by Wednesday, the final day of the road trip, to check in with team staff. “We’ll get him back and then revisit the plan, but confident that we’re heading in the best direction,” Cash said.