The Tampa Bay Rays placed left-hander Shane McClanahan on the 15-day injured list Friday with tightness in his left-mid back area.
McClanahan was removed from Thursday’s game against the visiting Texas Rangers after facing two batters in the fourth inning.
The two-time All-Star hit Ezequiel Duran to open the inning and walked Brandon Nimmo before bending over on the mound. Manager Kevin Cash and head athletic trainer Joe Benge walked to the mound and immediately removed McClanahan from the game.
“I didn’t want it to snowball into something major,” McClanahan said after the game. “Tightness is one thing; you can work with that, but being a little unsure of if this could develop into a pulled muscle or something. … It’s not worth losing yourself for a long run.”
McClanahan, 29, is 9-6 with a 3.09 ERA in 20 appearances (all starts) this season.
He is 42-22 with a 3.04 ERA in 94 career appearances (all starts) with Tampa Bay.
The Rays also recalled right-hander Alex Cook from Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move.
Cook, 25, is 1-2 with one save and a 3.78 ERA in 29 appearances (five starts) with the Bulls. It will be his major league debut if he gets into a game.
