The Tampa Bay Rays are beginning spring training, which means the 2026 baseball season has officially begun.
Despite some underwhelming predictions for how the regular season will play out, there is still some optimism surrounding the Rays heading into the year. What fans are potentially the most excited about is the pitching staff.
Shane McClanahan, a former two-time All-Star, is the focal point of spring training as he prepares to return from injury, with his last Major League pitch being thrown on Aug. 2, 2023.
Early indications this winter were that he would be ready to participate in spring training. That milestone has been achieved, with McClanahan drawing rave reviews for the work he put in to be ready for camp.
Shane McClanahan healthy heading into spring training
Mar 1, 2025; Port Charlotte, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Shane McClanahan (18) throws a pitch against the New York Mets in the first inning during spring training at Charlotte Sports Park. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
“The last six or eight weeks have been really, really good,” said Tampa Bay pitching coach Kyle Snyder, referencing the work McClanahan has been doing at a facility in South Tampa, via Ryan Bass on X.
Having such a successful ramp-up period has to excite the fan base and the talented left-handed pitcher himself. It has been a long time since he has helped the Rays win games on the field, but he is getting close to being able to do it once again.
His return to the rotation is a huge boost for the franchise. He has performed like an ace thus far in his career. Through 74 starts, he has a 3.02 ERA across 404.2 innings with 456 strikeouts.
McClanahan has produced 8.8 bWAR and 130 ERA+, earning two All-Star nominations while finishing seventh in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2021 and sixth in the AL Cy Young Award voting in 2022.
#Rays ace Shane McClanahan hasn’t thrown a pitch in a regular-season game since Aug. 2, 2023, but the two-time All-Star has come into camp looking sharp.
“The last six or eight weeks have been really, really good,” #Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder said of Mac, who has been…
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) February 9, 2026
What everyone is wondering now is whether he will be ready to take the mound on Opening Day, March 26, on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals.
“I think we’ll consider the math in terms of the season and where he slots, but he’s being totally built up to start, with the expectation that he’ll be in our rotation,” Snyder said. “…I’ve got a really good relationship with Mac and we’ll be together every day. Just being here, knowing where he is every single day, and making sure that we’re being present and kind of letting one week, if not one day, take us to the next.”
Not making any definitive statements about when he will take the mound makes a lot of sense. There are still multiple weeks until the regular season begins, and there are things the coaching staff has to straighten out first.
Just having McClanahan available as a potential option is nice for the franchise. It is anyone’s guess what kind of workload he can provide, but he can be a high-upside option should he remain healthy.
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