ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - Shane McClanahan of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches against the San Francisco Giants during a game at Tropicana Field on May 1, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

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Shane McClanahan has been a big reason why the Tampa Bay Rays won 13 of 14 before losing in Boston on Friday evening. The 29-year-old lefty has made quite a return after he was sidelined for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. He went 972 days between MLB appearances thanks to Tommy John surgery and a subsequent nerve-related issue.

Though there was noticeable inconsistency in his first three or four starts this season, which was not unexpected given the layoff, McClanahan has flourished of late as evidenced by a string 16 2/3 scoreless innings that he will take into his next assignment in Toronto on Monday evening.

“I think I was guilty of, maybe in my first couple starts, just throwing,” he said. “Obviously, getting the feel back. Now, it is more of trusting (catchers Nick Fortes and Hunter Feduccia) and game planning with (pitching coach Kyle Snyder). It’s matchups and understanding what I do well versus what (the batters) do well. I am pretty pleased with my progression and want to keep this moving forward.”

The velocity of McClanahan’s four-seam fastball has been moving forward, topping out at 96.9 in each of his last two starts. His average in 2023 prior to being shut down was 96.8. In the larger picture, the two-time all-star understands it is okay to have quick innings with those behind him in the field taking care of business. He does not need to whiff 10.5 batters per nine innings as his did in 2022, his last full season.

“I think that’s kind of been the evolution for me as a pitcher in terms of maybe I wanted to go strike out (a lot of batters) again,” he said, following a 3-0 win against Toronto on Wednesday afternoon at Tropicana Field, an outing that saw him improve to 4-2 with a 2.60 ERA. His K/9 rate is 8.8. “Obviously, I still want to get as many (strikeouts) as I can. Take the ball out of play and good things happen, but there’s a lot more trust.”

Call it maturing as a pitcher or whatever you may. The “trust” is in a defense that has been very strong in recent years. After all, that is the Rays Way. Along with superb pitching, the leather has saved countless runs in helping propel the Rays into being a playoff contender for much of the past decade.

“There’s a lot more pitching in terms of just stuffing people,” said McClanahan, who sat out his freshman season of 2016 at the University of South Florida due to his first Tommy John procedure before setting himself up to be the 31^st overall pick by the Rays in 2018. “Instead of striking a guy out, let’s get this guy out on the first pitch (or) let’s try to get him to swing and be aggressive and kind of tip their hand a little bit to see what they're trying to do.”

McClanhan was the beneficiary of exceptional defensive plays Wednesday by shortstop Taylor Walls, who makes the difficult look mundane, and third baseman Junior Caminero. They were the type of plays that produce fist bumps from a pitcher on the stroll back to the dugout. There were also many routine plays thanks to how McClanahan went about his work.

“It’s a little bit more intent in terms of each pitch and the desired result as opposed to just, ‘I’m going to throw this as hard as I can and let’s see if I can get a swing and miss,'” he said. “It’s me trusting everybody behind me.”

‘No egos’ in Tampa Bay Rays’ clubhouse

McClanahan spoke glowingly of the 2026 Rays, a team that took the field for their series in Boston with 12 players who were with other organizations a year ago at this point. He noted that the gameplan upon arrival in Beantown was to ditch belongings at the team hotel and head out to enjoy a simulated F1 race experience.

“It’s just a group of really good dudes,” he said. “There are no egos. There’s no selfishness. It’s just good people playing baseball hard.”

There is a camaraderie in the clubhouse that spills onto the field. As McClanahan noted, it is something that goes beyond the walls of Tropicana Field, or whatever venue the team visits.

“It’s pretty cool that these guys in here are actually like really good friends,” he said. “It’s refreshing in terms of some stuff we’ve had in the past. I can't say enough good things about the culture.”

McClanahan complimented the culture manager Kevin Cash, general manager Erik Neander and the front office have promoted.

“Allowing us to be ourselves and kind just be good people,” he said. “I think that’s what it boils down to because if you’re a good person, I think good things happen to you. There’s a lot of really good people in here that I can actually say that I would go to war for.”