Rays starter Shane McClanahan leaves game vs. Rangers because of back tightness

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Shane McClanahan left Thursday’s win over the Texas Rangers in the fourth inning because of back tightness.

The team listed him as day to day.

“Any time it’s a back and not an arm, I think we feel better about it,’’ Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. “But we’ll see. We’ll get him checked out and go from there."

McClanahan was pulled from the game two batters into the fourth inning and with the Rays leading 1-0. At the time, the left-hander had yet to allow a hit, but he did hit Ezequiel Duran with a pitch to start the fourth, followed by a walk to Brandon Nimmo.

Following a brief discussion on the mound, McClanahan walked to the dugout accompanied by head athletic trainer Joseph Benge. He was replaced by Casey Legumina, who was already warming up after McClanahan informed the coaching staff that his back was beginning to bother him.

“He complained that his back was tight, and we’re just taking (it) inning to inning and just watching," Cash said. “We saw the (velocity) kind of dip a little bit and felt like, all right that was enough."

McClanahan was making his 20th start of the season and entered the game with a 9-6 record and 3.06 ERA. He threw 49 pitches.

The 29-year-old returned to the Tampa Bay rotation this year after missing the previous two-plus seasons because of injury. McClanahan underwent Tommy John surgery in August 2023 that kept him out for the entire 2024 season. Then, in spring training ahead of the 2025 campaign, he dealt with nerve irritation in his left triceps but never returned and eventually underwent surgery in August of last year.

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