Rays' Shane McClanahan: Sent to minors

McClanahan was optioned off the active roster Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

There are plenty of reasons to get excited about McClanahan, who flashed triple-digit heat this spring and owns a career 3.17 ERA with a 31.6 percent strikeout rate in the minors. He's yet to pitch above Double-A and has only made four starts at that level, however, so it's no surprise he'll begin the year off the active roster given the Rays' wealth of potential starters. He could certainly fill an important role at some point this season, either as a starter or multi-inning reliever, but it's not yet clear exactly when his name will be called.