The Tampa Bay Rays have felt snake-bitten for an extended period. Stadium issues notwithstanding, the club has long been plagued by injuries, and now the rotation loses a crucial leader of the staff. Shane McClanahan underwent season-ending surgery to fix a nerve issue in his throwing arm, and manager Kevin Cash sounded pessimistic about his future.
“(The doctor) is not sitting there saying, like, ‘he’s fixed.’ That’s not the case. It’s ‘this is one step, and we’ll see how this goes.’ And hopefully we get good results,” #Rays Cash said of McClanahan’s procedure. https://t.co/4URKnd4B1Z
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) August 12, 2025
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So where does the pitching-first organization find itself after this disheartening piece of news?
Assessing The Situation
McClanahan’s injury is a tough blow, but the Rays have bodies to cover the remainder of the season. The Rays lack a clear-cut ace, and the focus should center around trying to identify that individual. Ryan Pepiot has worked 142 1/3 innings over 25 games started this season. He carries a 3.86 ERA and has punched out 23.9% of opponents against an 8.5% walk rate. His underlying metrics are rather ordinary, but he has incredible upside. Same for Drew Rasmussen and Joe Boyle. Boyle has posted a 4.68 ERA (88 ERA+) in 32.2 innings pitched. He’s another guy with incredible potential. Rasmussen is giving up a lot of home runs and hard contact, but has a 2.60 ERA (157 ERA+) in 24 games started. Rasmussen and Shane Baz are each coming back from major injuries.
The rest of the options include newcomer Adrian Houser at the trade deadline. Houser has a career 4.06 ERA but little harm is done if he turns out to be a bust even though the Rays liked something in his profile. Ian Seymour has exclusively been used out of the bullpen but has plenty of starting experience.
Options On the Horizon
This is where things get interesting. The Rays need to see good things not only this season, but also in 2026, a year in which they are still expecting to contend for a playoff spot. New ownership and the prospect of additional money for the payroll should help in acquiring external free agents. Don’t forget that Rasmussen and Baz will probably have their innings limited if the Rays are not playing meaningful games in September. That will allow opportunities for auditions from talented young players. Yoniel Curet is a name to watch as he made the jump to AAA this season.
Meanwhile, someone like Forrest Whitley could get another opportunity in the waning weeks of the regular season. Whitley was abysmal in his first look in a Rays uniform. But look at his numbers in AAA-Durham (1.76 ERA in six games started), and the Rays may stretch him out again. Brian Van Belle was acquired in the trade with the Cincinnati Reds and has pitched scoreless baseball through two appearances at AAA-Durham.
The Last Word
The Rays have a good base of starting pitching to build off. They have the makings of a good rotation, but desperately need an ace. McClanahan could have been that guy. An argument could be made that any of the above options can fill that role. At the moment, however, it feels like the Rays possess a lot of #3 or #4 options. What was once a top pitching group has now slipped into the middle of the league rankings. It’s not the end of the world. The Rays deserve the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their pitching.
Main Photo Credits: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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