PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Nobody wanted to bring it up, but Shane McClanahan thought about it on Friday afternoon.
It was almost exactly a year ago that McClanahan scaled the mound at Charlotte Sports Park to face the Red Sox in his final start of Spring Training. That was March 22, 2025, less than a week before the left-hander’s scheduled Opening Day start. And in the third inning, he walked off the mound with what turned out to be a freak injury to a nerve in his left triceps, an issue that kept him from pitching for the Rays for a second straight season.
Not this time.
McClanahan walked off the mound and took an emotional walk through the Rays’ dugout after pitching five scoreless innings in the Rays’ 2-0 win over the Red Sox at Charlotte Sports Park. He did his job. He got through it healthy. He increased his pitch count to 73 as he completed five innings for the first time since July 28, 2023.
“It was on my mind a little bit this outing, because this was my last start last year, and against these guys,” McClanahan said afterward. “The last inning, I think everybody was kind of just -- not saying it out loud, but we're like, 'Let's just get through it. Let's get through it.' Thankfully, here we are.”
There are still some things to iron out, like more consistent fastball command, but McClanahan once again looked like himself as he struck out four and walked two while permitting only three hits. He ran his fastball up to 96.8 mph, his changeup induced three whiffs on eight swings and he finished each of his three first-inning strikeouts with sliders.
McClanahan will make his regular-season debut in Milwaukee on March 31. Before then, he’ll throw two innings of live batting practice during the Rays’ workout in St. Louis on Wednesday. He’s not letting himself think too far ahead, though, sticking to the mantra that’s gotten him to this point of Spring Training.
“It's just one day at a time. Last year I got a little ahead of myself. I was looking forward to Opening Day this, Opening Day that,” McClanahan said. “Just let one foot lead you to the next, and trust today's work will get you to tomorrow.”
Roster moves
The Rays continued to pare down their Spring Training roster on Friday by optioning infielder/outfielder Richie Palacios, outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy and right-hander Joe Boyle to Minor League camp.
All three players will be key parts of Tampa Bay’s depth, with Palacios particularly valuable as a versatile option around the infield and outfield.
“He's a really good player. It's tough to see a scenario where he's not helping us at some point,” manager Kevin Cash said. “There wasn't really a lane for him out of the gate, as we are right now.”
That realistically leaves the Rays one decision for the position-player group: whether to officially recall top prospect Carson Williams as their starting shortstop, or ride with Ben Williamson at that spot and select/acquire a backup utility infielder to take his place.
There’s still some work to do in the bullpen after sending out Boyle, who will start for Triple-A Durham. The rotation is set, and Griffin Jax, Garrett Cleavinger and Bryan Baker will occupy three spots in the bullpen. The other five spots should go to some combination of Hunter Bigge, non-roster invitee Cam Booser, Mason Englert, Yoendrys Gómez, Kevin Kelly, Ian Seymour and Cole Sulser.
Camp notes
• Cleavinger and Jax were back in camp after pitching for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. Cleavinger pitched a clean, 14-pitch sixth inning with one strikeout on Friday. Jax is scheduled to pitch on Saturday.
Cleavinger made just one appearance in the WBC, but he said he was throwing regularly and warmed up during the championship game.
“It feels good to be back. It's nice to see everybody again. I feel like I've been gone for a long time,” Cleavinger said. “It felt good to get out there, get some work. Just get a few more games, and then we're good to go.”
• Shortstop Taylor Walls said he was told he will miss a “minimum” of three to four weeks after being diagnosed Thursday with rib tip syndrome and a right oblique strain. He felt a “pop” in his abs, under his ribs, while doing drills in the batting cage on Tuesday, and the area continued to get sore and stiff as the day went on.
“Not ideal at all,” Walls said. “You can try to think about some things that maybe could have prevented it, but at the same time, I feel like that’s just kind of a guessing game. … You’ve got to keep moving forward.”