SAN FRANCISCO — Rays starter Shane McClanahan will have Tommy John elbow surgery that is expected to sideline him until 2025.

McClanahan, 26, has been idled since leaving his Aug. 2 start, feeling tightness in his left forearm.

He visited with and/or consulted with three doctors over the last two weeks and had options for less severe procedures, such as loose body removal or flexor repair. He met Tuesday with another specialist, Dr. Keith Meister, and opted for the complete ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, scheduled for Monday in Texas.

This will be the second Tommy John surgery for McClanahan, a two-time All-Star who underwent the procedure in 2015 as a freshman at USF.

JURISPRUDENCE: Umpire Ángel Hernández lost again in his racial discrimination lawsuit against Major League Baseball when a federal appeals court refused to reinstate his case.

The 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a 2021 District Court decision that granted MLB a summary judgment.

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The Cuba-born Hernández, hired as a big league umpire in 1993, sued in 2017. He alleged he was discriminated against because he had not been assigned to the World Series since 2005 and had been passed over for crew chief.

“Hernández has failed to establish a statistically significant disparity between the promotion rates of white and minority umpires,” the 2nd Circuit said in an 11-page decision. “MLB has provided persuasive expert evidence demonstrating that, during the years at issue, the difference in crew chief promotion rates between white and minority umpires was not statistically significant. Hernández offers no explanation as to why MLB’s statistical evidence is unreliable.”

The decision was made by Circuit Judges Susan L. Carney and Steven J. Menash, who heard oral arguments on June 8. The court said the third member of the panel, Circuit Judge Rosemary S. Pooler, died last Thursday.

Hernández claimed then-MLB executive Joe Torre, who made key decisions over umpires, held animosity toward Hernández dating to Torre’s time as New York Yankees manager.

“Hernández has failed to show that the criteria Torre used in making crew chief promotion decisions caused the existing disparity between white and minority crew chiefs,” the panel wrote. “Hernández has made no showing that Torre harbors a bias against racial minorities.”

TWINS: The Minnesota Twins returned third baseman Royce Lewis from his rehab assignment and reinstated him from the injured list, following a 36-game absence because of a strained left oblique muscle.

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The Twins placed infielder Willi Castro on the injured list with what they called a mild left oblique strain to make room for Lewis, whose promising start to his major league career was waylaid by an injury for the second straight year.

BRAVES:  The Atlanta Braves recalled infielder Vaughn Grissom from Triple-A Gwinnett.

Grissom, who lost out for the starting shortstop job during spring training, was promoted after the Braves placed second baseman Ozzie Albies on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain.

Nicky Lopez had three hits and drove in three runs while replacing Albies in Atlanta’s 11-3 win over the Yankees on Monday night. It was the first game Albies missed all season.

RANGERS: The AL West-leading Texas Rangers signed former two-time All-Star infielder Josh Harrison to a minor league contract, two weeks after he was released by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Harrison hit .204 with two homers and 10 RBI in 40 games this season for the Phillies, who designated him for assignment and then released him when making moves to clear a spot on their roster for newly acquired right-hander Michael Lorenzen.

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ASTROS: Outfielder Michael Brantley started a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land as he works his way back from right shoulder surgery last August.

The 36-year-old World Series champion last played for the Astros on June 26 last year and was hitting .288 with 14 doubles, five homers and 26 RBI in 64 games before going on the injured list.

Brantley appeared to be close to a return in May before an MRI revealed inflammation in his surgically repaired shoulder.

YANKEES: Aaron Judge likely will avoid surgery on his ailing toe after the season, Manager Aaron Boone said.

Boone said Judge has been moving well since his return from injured list on July 28.

“I don’t think surgery is in the plans,” the manager said. “We’re not at the offseason yet, but he’s been doing pretty well. The fact that he’s been able to play good amount of games in the field is a testament to that.”

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After serving as a designated hitter in an 11-3 loss to the Braves on Monday, Judge was starting in right field for game two of the series. It was the seventh time in 17 games since his return that the reigning AL MVP has been penciled in defensively.

Judge was sidelined for nearly two months after tearing a ligament in his right big toe June 3 when he crashed into the right-field fence while making a catch at Dodger Stadium. He also missed time in early in the season with a right hip strain.

In 65 games, Judge was hitting .284 with 22 homers and 45 RBI for the struggling Yankees, who are last in the AL East.

CUBS: Pitcher Dalbert Mosquea was suspended for 56 games under baseball’s minor league drug program following a positive test for the performance-enhancing substance Stanozolol.

The 18-year-old right-hander signed with the Cubs in June and was 0-3 with a 3.14 ERA and one save in nine relief appearances in the Dominican Summer League.

BLUE JAYS: All-Star closer Jordan Romano was activated off the 15-day injured list.

The right-hander went on the IL on July 29 because of a sore lower back, one day after leaving with two outs in the ninth inning of a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

Shortstop Bo Bichette (right knee) was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Buffalo on Tuesday. Bichette left a July 31 game against Baltimore after he jammed his knee while running the bases.


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