Following a great comeback by the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS against the Chicago White Sox, they were able to punch their ticket to an ALCS matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays.
For the Rays, they were able to sweep the New York Yankees in their ALDS matchup. Many have believed that they were the best two teams in the AL this season, but Tampa Bay shouldn't take the Guardians lightly.
This is a Cleveland team that didn't give up despite being on the brink of elimination. The Guardians feature a strong pitching staff, and the Rays will have to be prepared.
Tampa Bay enters the ALCS with their pitching staff looking really sharp following the series against the Yankees. Even though their offense didn't really impress against New York, that didn't matter much.
As the Rays start to set their roster for the ALCS against the Guardians, they will once again be without one of their key pitchers from the regular season.
After missing the ALDS against the Yankees, the Rays have announced that McClanahan will not be pitching for the rest of the postseason. With the series getting a little longer, having McClanahan would have been nice. However, due to the amount of time that he has already missed, it's hard to imagine that he would have been able to return as a traditional starter at this point.
Due to his injury history, the Rays being cautious with McClanahan makes a ton of sense. While the team is going to be hoping to make a run in the postseason, they have shown so far that they can win without him.
This season, the left-hander was really impressive in his return to the majors following missing a ton of time. In 2026, he totaled a 10-7 record and 3.36 ERA. With it being the first time he has pitched in the majors since 2023, it's pretty remarkable what he was able to accomplish
Now, as the Rays get prepared for the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians, they will be hoping to finish what they have started. This team has been the best in the league throughout the season, but they still have work to do. Obviously, they would have wished to have had McClanahan, but they can still win without him.
The Rays will be sending Drew Rasmussen to the mound as expected in Game 1 and the team will have their rotation set up properly.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/rays/onsi as Rays' Shane McClanahan Ruled Out for Remainder of Postseason .
