McKay has been plagued by injuries the last few years and this latest setback figures to knock him out of action at Triple-A Durham for at least three months. The 28-year-old southpaw underwent an MRI earlier this month that revealed a flexor/pronator strain and an accompanying UCL sprain in his left elbow.

McKay has looked impressive and healthy, most importantly, this spring after missing the majority of the last few seasons due to injury issues. The 28-year-old lefty will need some additional time to continue ramping up in the minors, but might be an option for Tampa Bay at some point later this season.

McKay has also dealt with shoulder problems and thoracic outlet surgery since he made his last major league appearance in 2019. According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, McKay was right around 90 mph with his fastball today. That’s not going to cut it in the majors, but hopefully he’ll get stronger while pitching in the minors at the beginning of the year.

McKay, a former top prospect, hasn’t pitched since 2022 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The 28-year-old inked a two-year minor league contract with the Rays in the winter of 2022, and he could be a pitcher to watch this spring. The oft-injured southpaw hadn’t pitched in the majors since 2019 when he posted a 5.14 WRA, 1.41 WHIP, and 56/16 K/BB ratio across 49 innings (13 appearances).