Shane McClanahan’s injury uncertainty gives Guardians clear playoff advantage over Rays

Unless something crazy happens over the final week of the 2026 MLB season, the Guardians are going to be in the bottom half of the American League postseason bracket. 

If they keep winning and end up winning the American League Central then they’ll be American League’s No. 2 seed and get an automatic bye to the American League Division Series. 

But if they stumble and end up falling to the Wild Card, they’ll take on the winner of the American League West in the Wild Card Series, with the winner taking on… the winner of the American League Central (the White Sox). 

On the other side of the bracket, the Tampa Bay Rays have all but secured the American League’s No. 1 seed. And their reward for doing so? A date with the winner of the Red Sox/Yankees Wild Card Series. 

It’s an incredibly unfair situation that is perhaps the most American League Central thing to ever happen, but it gives the Guardians a clear advantage. 

And if the Guardians end up facing off against the Rays in the American League Central, they could have another advantage thanks to Shane McClanahan’s forearm injury that’s going to keep him out for the regular season and could leak into the postseason. 

Even though McClanahan isn’t the same kind of pitcher that he was prior to Tommy John surgery, he’s still a key part of one of baseball’s best pitching staffs. 

Shane McClanahan's forearm injury would give the Guardians a much-needed advantage in a postseason series against the Rays

McClanahan’s injury first popped up at the start of September, and he’s been on the injured list since. 

Manager Kevin Cash said last Friday that McClanahan “played catch” but has been pretty vague in providing updates otherwise, which makes it seem like the two-time All-Star will likely miss some of the postseason, too. 

The Rays are going to get the built-in off days through the Wild Card Series that are afforded to the division winners, but it seems like even that won’t be enough to get McClanahan on the mound. 

He recorded a 3.36 ERA in 118 innings this year after missing all of 2025 while recovering from Tommy John surgery and navigating a nerve issue.

He made his big league debut in the 2020 postseason and put together three great seasons atop Tampa’s rotation before going under the knife. 

Guardians fans should be familiar with the Rays’ pitching factory considering there’s a lot of connective tissue shared between the two teams as two of MLB’s premier small-market franchises. 

The Rays still have a great pitching staff that has some great starters in Drew Rasmussen, Griffin Jax and a resurgent Nick Martinez, but they also have some classic “Rays pitchers” in Bryan Baker, Kevin Kelly and a late-blooming Freddy Peralta. 

There’s still a long way to go before the American League Championship Series (the Guardians need to make the postseason, first off), but McClanahan’s ominous injury would give Cleveland a much-needed leg up in a potential series between the two teams.

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