Cape Coral native leads MLB clubhouse on and off the mound

The Tampa Bay Rays’ pitching rotation took a hit last August when lefty ace Shane McClanahan underwent his second Tommy John surgery.

The Cape Coral alum is expected to miss the entire 2024 season so this year his leadership role is in the clubhouse.

“The progress he’s made as a pitcher and then definitely in the clubhouse and handling adversity throughout the season has been pretty remarkable,” Rays Manager Kevin Cash said. “Anything that he can say to some of our young pitchers we’ll take.”

Lucky for Cash, McClanahan has a lot to say to the young guys.

“I feel like I’ve been through a lot so far in my short career and a lot of kind of out of the ordinary things and I’ll just kind of lean on that experience,” McClanahan said.

Most of his advice boils down to keeping it simple.

“It’s a game and I think the second you lose sight of that is when it starts to kind of make you feel overwhelmed,” McClanahan said. “Go out there, trust yourself and just have fun.”

Fellow pitching veteran Drew Rasmussen says that ‘have fun’ energy is exactly what makes McClanahan an asset in their clubhouse.

“He brings a lot of great qualities that, performance aside, make him a leader in this clubhouse,” Rasmussen said. “He’s a great human being. He’s easy to talk to. Like I said he brings energy and so that really helps motivate the rest of the group.”

When McClanahan’s not rehabbing, he’s in the clubhouse or watching workouts leading his team off the mound.