Latest news with #ShaneMcClanahan
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Will Tampa Bay Rays Be Buyers or Sellers by MLB Trade Deadline?
Will Tampa Bay Rays Be Buyers or Sellers by MLB Trade Deadline? originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Tampa Bay Rays are in a unique position. Though they trail the New York Yankees by 5.5 games in the American League East going into Thursday, the Rays are squarely in the Wild Card hunt. Advertisement A recent surge has Tampa Bay just a half-game out of the last playoff spot, which is an enviable position with the MLB trade deadline coming fast. Teams have until July 31 to make a deal, with it unclear whether the Rays will be buyers or sellers? Or perhaps they can do both. Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander is no stranger to dealing, as a number of moves last year helped set the club up for contention this season and in those to come. The Rays have significant depth to use as potential trade chips is both the buying and selling scenarios. What will the Rays do at the trade deadline? As noted by Mark Feinsand, much can happen in the near future. A lot will depend on how things shake out in the coming weeks. If Ha-Seong Kim is healthy and effective, their need for a better shortstop is answered. If Shane McClanahan is close to his old form, they've got an ace. The depth in the organization could provide the answers to any needs they have, but the Rays are always cognizant of their players' contractual status, which could open the door for some deals. Advertisement Some of those pieces could be on the move or remain in place if the club hopes to make a playoff run. Closer Pete Fairbanks has one more year of control, Brandon Lowe has a club option for 2026 and Yandy Díaz is signed through 2026 with an option for '27. Zack Littell is headed for free agency this winter. If the Rays are firmly in the race next month, it's hard to see them moving any of these key pieces, but with Tampa Bay, you never know. Expect the Rays and Neander to be busy. Whichever path they take is anyone's guess. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Rays' Shane McClanahan throws off mound; timeline for return is forming
TAMPA —Shane McClanahan could be in line to rejoin the Rays rotation as soon as late July, baseball operations president Erik Neander told MLB Network Radio. McClanahan, 28, is back to full strength and throwing regularly in his return from a triceps nerve issue that has sidelined him since late in spring training. Advertisement McClanahan threw off the mound at a slightly shortened distance Tuesday. If he feels good on Friday, he will throw his first normal bullpen session. The two-time All-Star will have to work through a progression of mound sessions, then live batting practice and a series of rehab games likely starting in late June. 'Where does that lead?' Neander said. 'I think just building out if all goes as planned from this point, probably somewhere in late July or early August, fingers crossed and crossed and crossed. But he's doing well and finally into his formal throwing progression at this point.' McClanahan hasn't pitched in a regular season game since Aug. 2, 2023, sustaining an elbow injury that led to his second career Tommy John surgery. He rehabbed during the 2024 season, entered spring training healthy and pitched well until the nerve issue surfaced in his final start. Advertisement In news on other injured Rays: • Outfielder Jonny DeLuca will be shut down from baseball activities for three more weeks after a second setback in his recovery from the right shoulder strain that has sidelined him since early April. • Reliever Hunter Bigge is over the soreness from the right lat strain that landed him on the injured list in early May but remains shut down from throwing for now. • Infielder Ha-Seong Kim is continuing his rehab assignment as he recovers from right shoulder surgery. He went 2-for-16 in his first five games as the DH and playing second base. His first appearance at shortstop is set for this week. Advertisement • Infielder/outfielder Richie Palacios, who played only one mid-April game after returning from a broken right ring finger and then spraining his right knee, is 'doing well' and 'continuing to make progress' in drills, including baserunning and defense. A wet celebration How did Zack Littell's teammates celebrate his complete game Saturday, the first by a Rays pitcher in nearly four years? Stuffed into a laundry cart for a shower of beer and other liquids, typically the plan for a first win or first save. 'That was fun; you don't get to do many anymore,' Littell said. 'It was cold. It's nice being a little older. I can tell people, 'If you throw ketchup on me, we're going to fight,' which is good.' Rainy days and Wednesdays, Thursdays ... Rain is forecast to be an issue for much of this week's homestand, but manager Kevin Cash and several players said there isn't much they can do except be ready to play whenever the conditions are right. 'I don't think we can plan anything other than show up to the ballpark ready to play and then let MLB and people within stadium ops to handle some of those decisions,' Cash said. Miscellany Former Rays star Evan Longoria on Wednesday will be inducted into the Sports Club of Tampa Bay Hall of Fame as part of a class that includes Lightning coach Jon Cooper, ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale and sports commission head Rob Higgins. Longoria will be honored again before Saturday's game, as he officially retires as a Ray. ... Reliever Pete Fairbanks has organized an event to be held at Saturday's game to raise money and awareness for Turner syndrome, with merchandise available and an auction of baseball memorabilia going live that day. ...Radio broadcaster Andy Freed will recite Lou Gehrig's retirement speech in a pregame presentation Wednesday in partnership with the ALS Foundation. ... Right-hander Kumar Rocker is expected to start Wednesday for the Rangers. Advertisement • • • Sign up for our Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida. Every weekday, tune into our Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast to hear reporter Rick Stroud break down the biggest stories in Tampa Bay sports. Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on X and Facebook.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Key Players Set for IL Return, Keeping Tampa Bay Rays' Playoff Chances Afloat
The Tampa Bay Rays, to this point in the 2025 season, are an enigma. They have not been outright bad, but they have also not been astoundingly good. They have simply existed. It has led to a 20-23 record entering Friday, good enough for fourth in the American League East, 12th in the American League and 23rd in MLB. Advertisement A big part of their mediocrity to this point has been the number of injuries they have faced. Four major players have missed most or all of the season, and without them the Rays have floundered. A recent article from Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report took a look at each team's playoff odds through the first quarter of the season and ranked them from most likely to least likely. For the Rays, thanks to the players who will be returning from injury at some point this year, their chances are still pretty solid. "The Rays could get interesting if and when they get healthy, though," Miller wrote. "The Rays lost Josh Lowe on Opening Day, Jonny DeLuca about a week later and they've yet to get either Shane McClanahan or Ha-Seong Kim on the field in 2025. Those are major absences, but Lowe is almost back and the hope is the other three will be in the mix when July begins. If they all return and the Rays start getting more out of young stars in the making Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero, look out." Josh Lowe did make his return on Thursday night, coming back with a bang. Lowe went 3-for-5 in his return with a home run, an RBI and three runs scored in the team's 8-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. It has been an interesting year in Tampa Bay, to say the least. With 119 games left to play, they are nowhere near out of the playoff race, and the players still set to return from injury will be another major boon to their chances.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tampa Bay Rays Pitching Staff Neither Good Nor Bad
The Tampa Bay Rays can normally be viewed as one of the preeminent pitching factories in MLB. They have shown an uncanny ability to take the most unlikely of pitchers, prospects or otherwise, and turn them into viable options at the Major League level. While that has been the case for the better part of the last two decades, 2025 has been, well, different. While the team as a whole has struggled to reach .500, the pitching staff has been simply ... mediocre? Advertisement Now they are missing a major piece in Shane McClanahan, but to be fair, he has not pitched in the regular season since 2023. Without him, no other pitcher on the roster has been able to stake their claim as a consistent force to be reckoned with on the mound. A recent article from Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report took a look at all 30 pitching staffs in MLB, and ranking them from best to worst. For the Rays, they placed 17th on the back of their mediocrity. "The Rays are just kind of perfectly mediocre," Miller wrote. "As of Monday morning, not a single pitcher on their staff had a WAR (neither on FanGraphs nor Baseball Reference) above 0.7 or below negative-0.3. Pete Fairbanks has been stout at closer, though. Shane McClanahan logged seven scoreless innings in spring training, but hasn't pitched in the regular season in nearly two years. Getting him back would be huge." Entering Friday, the staff ranks 12th in MLB with an ERA of 3.84. Most of that has come from the bullpen, however, as the rotation holds an ERA of 4.10, 18th in MLB, while the relief corps holds a 3.42 mark, eighth overall. McClanahan holds a career ERA of 3.02 across 404.2 innings over three seasons. Getting him back on the mound would work wonders for a pitching staff that, to this point in 2025, has just been... meh.
Axios
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Axios
A casual fan's guide to the 2025 Rays
Friday is Opening Day for the Tampa Bay Rays as they kick off the new season at home against the Rockies. If you're a baseball fan, you already knew that. This mini-guide is for everyone else. Here are four things to know about the 2025 Rays: 🏟️ Is that... the sky? Your eyes aren't deceiving you: For the first time in team history, the Rays will not play home games at Tropicana Field, which lost its roof to Hurricane Milton. The team instead will play at Tampa's open-air Steinbrenner Field. Brace for summer heat and rain delays. ⚾️ Heroic hurlers The Rays' pitching is considered the team's strength, with a rotation featuring ace Shane McClanahan and key starters Drew Rasmussen and Ryan Pepiot. McClanahan was set to start opening day but suffered a pesky nerve issue, so Pepiot will be on the mound Friday. 🧢 Batters up Second baseman Brandon Lowe, a power hitter and last season's team MVP, leads the list of names to know in the Rays' lineup. Keep an eye on third baseman Junior Caminero, who's 21 and primed for a breakout season. He's said he wants to hit 30 homers. 🏷️ Ownership rumors With the collapse of the team's deal for a new stadium in St. Pete, reports say owner Stu Sternberg is under pressure from the league to sell. The team has said it's not for sale, but buyers are circling. Don't be surprised if the owner's box has different occupants by season's end. Bonus: 🤔 1 quirk of baseball history to go Changing teams mid-season is a fact of life for many professional athletes. Changing teams mid-game? That's an experience unique to new Rays catcher Danny Jansen. Flashback: Jansen was playing for the Toronto Blue Jays on June 26, 2024, when severe weather at Fenway Park led to a road game against the Boston Red Sox being suspended in the second inning. By the time the game resumed on Aug. 26, Jansen had been traded to the Sox — making him the first player in MLB history to appear in the same game for both teams. "Honestly, when I heard about it, I didn't think I would be the first," Jansen said at the time, per ESPN. "The game has been around for so long."
