Rays fans have been waiting two years to see it Shane McClanahan on the big league mound. The electric lefty missed 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, then missed another season with a nerve strain in his triceps. McLanahan is on track to be ready for the 2026 campaign, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, though the southpaw may be closing out his career in some form.
McClanahan was solid in his debut in 2021, and became an AL Cy Young candidate the following season. He compiled 28 starts for a 2.54 ERA with a strikeout per inning in 2022. McClanahan closed out the year with a strong start against the Rangers in the Wild Card round. He threw seven innings of two-run ball, but took the loss Shane Bieber.
Even if he faces some sort of innings limit, adding McClanahan back into the rotation would be a welcome sight for the depleted Rays pitching staff. Drew Rasmussen again Ryan Pepiot stay on top of the team, but the guarantees end there. Shane Baz He was tied for the team lead with 31 last season, but is now in Baltimore. Veterans Zack Littell again Adrian Houser they are no longer in the organization. Hello Bradley was sent to Minnesota at the trade deadline. Joe Boylesigned free agent Steven Matzand commercial acquisitions Yoendrys Gomez they are candidates to fill out the rotation, and Littell could return in free agency.
Griffin Canning he is recovering from his serious injury. The free agent right-hander is working his way back from an Achilles tendon injury suffered by the Mets last season. Canning threw to interested parties on Friday and hit 93 mph on the radar gun, reports Will Samson of The Athletic.
The Cardinals, White Sox, and Mets have been mentioned as potential destinations for Canning. The veteran was putting together a solid campaign before going down in June. Canning had a career-best 3.77 ERA through 16 starts after signing a one-year, $4.25MM deal with New York. He increased his use of the slider while adjusting the pitch characteristics with his new team, and Canning added more than three inches of vertical drop and 1.5 inches of horizontal movement to his first breaking ball. He also made changes in his transition. The tweaks helped Canning regain some of the hitting ability he lost in his final season with the Angels.
On the position player side, the utilityman Otto Kemp it is expected to be fully completed next season. Kemp broke his kneecap less than two weeks after being called up last year. He played through injury the entire campaign. Kemp underwent offseason surgery to correct the issue and underwent further surgery on his shoulder. He told NBC Sports Philadelphia in an interview that he is making a good return to practice.
“Feeling back to 100%, which is great,” said Kemp.It’s refreshing to hear that after playing so much baseball.”
The 26-year-old provided pop for the first time in the big leagues, hitting eight home runs in 62 games. He finished with a .411 SLG, though it came with a strikeout rate of over 30%. Kemp is among the internal options to compete for platoon work on the side Brandon Marsh in an outside area.
