Shane McClanahan Ready for Return Following All-Star Break

The Tampa Bay Rays entered the MLB All-Star break struggling and will be happy to welcome back their ace Shane McClanahan as soon as possible.

Injury Update

Now with just a 2.0 game lead over the Baltimore Orioles after leading the AL East since game one of the season, the Rays are prepared to welcome back McClanahan this Sunday.

Tampa Bay placed McClanahan on the injured list on July 1st to take advantage of the MLB All-Star break, giving him time to get healthy after injuring his back (mid-back tightness) and trying to play through it.

Injury Prognosis

The tightness in McClanahan's back bothered him in his past two starts as he could only put together 6 2/3 innings in those starts combined. They pushed off the second of the two starts to give him some time to rest the back but clearly, that time wasn't enough. His velocity was noticeably down and he allowed six runs in the two outings as his ERA was raised from 2.12 to 2.53.

Overall, McClanahan has had a good season and has been in contention for the AL Cy Young since the beginning. Along with the 2.53 ERA is an 11-1 record with 101 strikeouts. If you dive in deeper, however, McClanahan hasn't been as good as the Rays need him to be as his ace. He is sporting a 4.11 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) which is the highest of his career and striking out batters at his lowest rate per nine innings.

All that being said, the Rays need their guy back to get themselves on track as before the final game ahead of the break, they dropped seven games in a row.

Tampa Bay Rays Betting Odds

The Rays are still looked at as the kings of the AL East even after the recent skid and the Orioles breathing down their necks, per FanDuel Sportsbook. A healthy McClanahan for the second half and beyond only strengthens those chances.

Tampa Bay is also still among the favorites for the World Series, sitting with the second-best odds of any team in the majors at +450, only trailing the Atlanta Braves (+360).

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