As the Tampa Bay Rays prepare for the 2025 season, they have announced their Opening Day Starter, and in so doing are going back to the future. Returning from Tommy John surgery that has prevented him from pitching since August 2023, 27-year old southpaw Shane McClanahan has been announced as the opening day starter for the Rays against the Colorado Rockies. This is significant for a few reasons, and is encouraging for the outlook of the team.

This announcement of the Opening Day starter was initially expected to take a few weeks. Given it has been announced so early is an encouraging sign for the Rays. It is also a good sign for McClanahan’s health. The return of its ace, and two-time All-Star, puts the team on a potentially whole different path than last season.

The Rays will be looking to make the playoffs after what they are hoping is a brief hiatus in 2024. After finishing 80-82, the Rays missed the playoffs after making the postseason in four straight seasons before that. With a payroll of about $73 million, and in a division with the higher-spending New York Yankees and up and coming Baltimore Orioles, it remains an uphill climb for the Rays.

Cash-ing in on Past Success

Manager Kevin Cash goes back to his ace for the 2025 Opening Day start.  McClanahan also got the nod in 2022 and 2023. This was followed by Zach Eflin in 2024, following a strong 2023 campaign. Looking at 2024 in a bubble would have resulted in Zack Littell likely getting the nod for the 2025 Opening Day start. Instead, ironically Littell may not even be in the Opening Day rotation, and could be trade bait.

So, this season is a bit of a break from the norm, and for good reason. McClanahan was the clear ace of the staff before going down with the injury. This will be the third Opening Day start for McClanahan. That puts him one behind the franchise lead of four, held by James Shields and Chris Archer. He also represented the organization as the starter of the 2022 All-Star game.

McClanahan has also proven himself as a big-game pitcher, performing well in the playoffs. While this is a good thing, it also provides another challenge for Cash. He’ll likely be working with an innings limit on McClanahan. Early thoughts are that the limit would be 150 innings, which is not a lot given a full season of work and the postseason. Based on that, his Opening Day start should not be expected to be a long one, and he will likely build in innings per start throughout the season. However, the early signs in Spring Training have been encouraging. He has already hit the upper 90’s with his fastball in live batting practice.

Will the Rays Have no Shane?

Shane McClanahan was the unquestioned ace of the Rays staff in 2023. However, in August 2023 he went down and needed Tommy John surgery. His ability to regain pre-Tommy John form will be a key factor for the Rays in 2025. Similarly, missing McClanahan could have been a driver of missing last year’s postseason.

With a relatively low payroll number, it is tougher for a team like the Rays to overcome losing its ace for a season.There is some concern regarding McLanahan’s ability to stay healthy. He has had two elbow surgeries before the age of 28, with the first coming when he was a teen. It is a bit easier to absorb when he is pitching on his current contract, two years and $7.5 million that runs through 2025. He is then arbitration-eligible in 2026, and a free agent to be in 2028.

Given his talent, the Rays would likely be happy to sign him to a long-term extension.  As a smaller market team, the Rays should want to keep a pitcher that happily takes the ball and produces in big games. He has garnered a record of 33-16 with a 3.02 ERA over his career from 2021-2023. However, the injury history should cause some pause. It could be more likely that he eventually leaves for a larger market team.

For now, he’s saying all the right things from a Rays perspective. He spoke to the Rays radio network before a Spring Training game. In that conversation he said “I love playing for this organization. These guys are top notch.” He also added that he is “really excited to get back and help this team win.”

Photo Credit; Athlon Sports, ClutchPoints, MLB.com, USF Athletics, Candy.io

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