The Tampa Bay Rays ace Shane McClanahan left tonights game against the Kansas City Royals after 3.2 innings with mid-back tightness. After Royals left fielder Dairon Blanco hit a soft ground ball to third baseman Isaac Paredes for the second out of the 4th inning, moving second baseman Samad Taylor to second base, Rays Manager Kevin Cash and athletic trainer Joseph Benge walked over to McClanahan. After an extended meeting between the three where McClanahan seemed pretty actively against, he would leave the game and Kevin Kelly would come into pitch.

What Cash noticed mostly was McClanahan’s fastball velocity being down a bit. McClanahan’s fastball usually averages about 97 mph, but during the top of the fourth he threw four fastballs that clocked in at 93.7, 94.4, 90.9 and 93.6. Even the Rays commentating crew Dewayne Staats and Brian Anderson and mentioned on air McClanahan’s lower velocity. 

Cash said in the postgame presser, ““We just felt in that moment, Kyle and I were talking, the way the ball was coming out that I think he was favoring it a little bit more. He wanted to stay out there. I appreciate him certainly wanting to go out there and to continue to compete. But I think in those moments, we probably need to err on the side of caution and make sure that we do right by him.”

Cash would go on to say that McClanahan was feeling the same discomfort before his last start on Friday, June 16th against the San Diego Padres and that “He managed it well,” as McClanahan went 6.2 innings with 1 earned run and 5 strikeouts. McClanahan stated after the game that he had “A little tightness and it went away, but it wouldn’t release today and I was struggling to get extension on the ball, and they picked up on it, and I think they made the right move.”

It seems that McClanahan will not have to hit the injured list, both Cash and McClanahan are feeling good about things. McClanahan has already started treatment and he said, “I feel like I’m in a good spot. If I had to forecast, I’d say I’m still in a pretty good spot to line up for my next start.” Obviously Cash and the training staff will continue to check in on McClanahan’s progress and if they want to it is possible to move his start back since there is an off day on Monday before back to back series against the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Seattle Mariners.