Tampa Bay Rays

Shane McClanahan

SP

It would have been a great story for the left-hander to rejoin the Rays during their playoff run after going down with forearm soreness in early September, but it's not a major surprise he's been ruled out given that there's been no indication he's close to game ready. McClanahan also spent time on the IL earlier in the season due to a back issue, limiting him to 24 starts. He posted a 3.36 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 106:39 K:BB across 118 innings this season and is entering his penultimate year of arbitration eligibility in 2027.

Jacob Melton

LF

The 26-year-old missed most of August due to a right hamstring strain and appears to have aggravated the injury, which will bring an early end to his 2026 campaign. Melton was acquired from the Astros last winter and was limited to 45 games during his first year in the Rays organization. However, he was productive for Triple-A Durham when available, finishing with a .253/.346/.475 slash line, seven homers and 26 stolen bases.

Gavin Lux

LF

Lux has been held out all season by shoulder and ankle injuries, but he seems to be making significant progress in his recovery from left shoulder inflammation that caused him to pause his rehab assignment in mid-July. The Rays still haven't confirmed that Lux will miss the entire 2026 campaign, but with roughly two weeks remaining in the regular season, his chances of returning in time are very slim.

Edwin Uceta

RP

Uceta continues to progress slowly from a right shoulder impingement and subsequent subscapularis strain. The right-hander's timeline for a return to the Rays remains murky at best, and he appears to be unlikely to be an option for Tampa Bay's bullpen until sometime in September with several hurdles still left to climb.

Jonathan Heasley

RP

Heasley was outrighted to Triple-A Durham on Saturday, but because he suffered his injury during his time with the Rays, he'll be placed on the Rays' 15-day injured list and also reclaim a spot on the 40-man roster. The 29-year-old righty gave up five earned runs in four innings during his lone outing with Tampa and will likely be outrighted to Triple-A again once he's healthy.