After exiting his start following three innings of work on Thursday, Shane McClanahan has been placed on the Injured List due to the southpaw experiencing some soreness in his back.
McClanahan made his return to the Rays in April after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2023 and missing the entirety of the 2024 and 2025 seasons due to setbacks in his recovery. It didn’t take McClanahan long to showcase his top of the rotation arm once returning to the Rays, but the team has taken it slow in allowing him to pitch deep into games.
The former first round pick has produced excellent numbers, posting a 3.09 ERA | 3.37 FIP but is averaging under 5 innings per start, having only pitched into the 7th inning once (July 8th against New York). Still, McClanahan has allowed 2 ER or less in 14 of his 20 starts and 1 ER or less in 10 of his 20 starts.
The Rays are expecting McClanahan’s stay on the IL to be brief and for the rotation to turn around twice in his absence.
Taking McClanahan’s spot on the rost is 25-year old Alex Cook.
Cook was the Rays 12th round selection in the 2022 draft and once he makes his debut, he will be the 5th player from the team’s draft class to have appeared in the Majors joining Chandler Simpson, Trevor Martin, Drew Sommers, and Duncan Davitt. Since making his professional debut in 2023, Cook has been one of the top relievers in the Rays system, with his 31.1 K% ranking 4th in the organization among hurlers with at least 100 IP.
The Rays initially tried Cook as a starting pitcher in 2024 with excellent results but suffered a right shoulder strain. When he returned, the Rays moved him to the bullpen and Cook dominated down the stretch in Double-A. Last November, the Rays added Cook to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Rays Assistant General Manager Kevin Ibach had this to say following the placement.
“He showed a lot of the same stuff that we saw initially out of the Draft, and I think that he’s a guy that can help the big league club sooner than later0 Another guy, just like the other two (Dominic Keegan and Jadher Areinamo and , that there’s always trade interest in. Certainly want to make sure that he makes his debut in our uniform.”
He entered Spring Training with an outside shot of making the Opening Day roster but would be optioned to Triple-A after a couple of weeks.
Cook would open the year with Durham but went on the Injured List in May with an intercostal strain that cost him the majority of the month. When Cook has been healthy and on the mound, the results have been great. Cook has had scoreless outings in 24 of his 29 appearances and currently has a 3.78 ERA | 4.03 FIP with a 28.5 K% & 9.2 BB% over 33.1 IP. According to FanGraphs, Cook has a fastball that reaches the upper 90’s and has “remarkable arm speed.” His fastball is complimented by a cutter/slider and a change-up, but his fastball is his lone plus pitch.
The Rays needed a fresh arm for their pitching staff as they used seven pitchers during Thursday’s series finale against the Texas Rangers. Tonight, the Rays will begin a three-game series against the AL Central leading Chicago White Sox.
