McClanahan earns 3rd Opening Day nod with return to Rays on horizon

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Shane McClanahan was in the weight room at Charlotte Sports Park last Wednesday, sipping his pre-workout drink and getting ready to lift after his first bullpen session of camp, when strength and conditioning coach Bryan King told him that manager Kevin Cash wanted to see him.

“I said, 'I don't know what I did.' I said, 'It's Day 1,'” McClanahan recalled. “I thought I was gonna get yelled at or something.”

Just the opposite, in fact. On the first day of Spring Training, Cash and pitching coach Kyle Snyder told McClanahan that he will once again be the Rays’ Opening Day starter when they begin a unique season against the Rockies on March 28 at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

It will be McClanahan’s third Opening Day start, as he also took the ball for Tampa Bay to begin the 2022 and ‘23 seasons, before sitting out last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. McClanahan completed his rehabilitation in September and reported to Spring Training with no restrictions. Opening Day will be his first big league start since Aug. 2, 2023.

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“I'm very honored. It's been a long year and a half of work, and I think it's a nod to maybe what I've done as a Tampa Bay Ray and the work I've put in throughout this rehab process,” McClanahan said Sunday morning. “I owe a huge amount of thanks to Cashy, Snydes, the front office and my teammates for believing in me and giving me this opportunity.

“I still have a lot of work to do. It's still early in camp. I'm excited to grow, excited to get better.”

The fact that McClanahan received the honor is hardly a shock, considering his track record, but the news leaked out in an unusual way.

When Cash told McClanahan about his Opening Day assignment, he asked him to keep it quiet until there was an official announcement. But the Rays shared that information with some club officials, and team president Matt Silverman let it slip during a WDAE radio appearance at the Rays’ Fan Fest on Saturday -- while McClanahan was standing nearby, waiting to be interviewed.

“To tell you the truth, I didn't know what to expect. I came into camp fighting for obviously Opening Day. That's every pitcher's goal,” he said. “I kind of came to the fact that if it happens, it happens. If it's not, you know, there's five other guys in this rotation that are more than deserving of it.

“I'm thankful. That's just the best way I can put it. I'm humbled.”

Cash said it was an easy decision, even considering the time McClanahan has missed.

McClanahan, 27, earned the assignment with his excellent work from 2021-23, when he quickly ascended to the top of Tampa Bay’s rotation. Over his first three seasons in the Majors, he went 33-16 with a 3.02 ERA and 456 strikeouts in 404 2/3 innings over 74 starts. The lefty started the 2022 All-Star Game opposite Clayton Kershaw, his pitching idol, then earned another All-Star nod in ‘23.

“His body of work from '21-23 is as impressive and stacks up with anybody in the game, certainly in this organization,” Cash said. “I just think he's very deserving of it. We know we have five, six really good starting options, but I don't think you penalize a guy for being hurt.”

McClanahan will become the fourth pitcher to make at least three Opening Day starts for the Rays. James Shields (2008-10, ‘12) and Chris Archer (2015-18) each made four, and David Price (2011, ‘13-14) also earned three Opening Day nods.

“Not everybody gets the opportunity to do that. We have such a talented group of guys here, and for them to trust in me and give me the opportunity for the third time, it's not lightly taken,” McClanahan said. “I feel very grateful for everything this organization has done for me, and I hope to extend that gratitude back.”

His third Opening Day appearance will be the Rays’ first regular-season game at Steinbrenner Field, their temporary home for this year after Tropicana Field sustained significant damage during Hurricane Milton.

“I'm just thankful to take the ball. It could be on a back field, could be across the state, could be in a different country,” McClanahan said. “I'm just thankful that I have a baseball in my hand and pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays.”