PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Rays ace Shane McClanahan left Saturday’s spring game in the third inning with what appeared to be an arm injury.

The Rays later announced that McClanahan left the game with triceps tightness. The triceps are the muscles on the back of the arm, opposite the biceps.

McClanahan, coming off the second Tommy John elbow surgery of his career, missed all of 2024 while rehabbing.

He cruised through the first two innings of Saturday’s start against the Red Sox with three strikeouts and one hit allowed before appearing to react in pain after throwing a pitch with one out in the third. He immediately signaled to the dugout and left the field with trainer Joe Benge.

McClanahan was one of the most dominant starters in the majors from 2021-23. He went 33-16 with a 3.02 ERA and two All-Star Game appearances.

Just hours earlier, Rays manager Kevin Cash had been asked what was the most encouraging sign this spring.

“We’ve been pretty fortunate so far with health,” Cash said. “Certainly on the pitching side.”

McClanahan felt tightness in his forearm while warming up before a game at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 2, 2023 and went on the injured list soon afterward. By the end of the month, he had decided on Tommy John surgery rather than the less invasive flexor repair with a brace.

McClanahan missed all of 2024 while rehabbing but looked good and was pitching without any limitations this spring. His last outing was a minor league game on Monday, when he struck out six of the 17 batters he faced while throwing 73 pitches.

In major league games this spring, McClanahan has thrown seven shutout innings.

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