This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. PETERSBURG -- The way they’ve performed in the second half, the Rays have generated a fair and understandable amount of optimism about the pitching staff they could put together next season.

Their remade bullpen has been one of baseball’s best since the All-Star break. Their rotation hasn’t been far behind, highlighted by the return of Shane Baz and (briefly) Jeffrey Springs, the continued development of Ryan Pepiot and Taj Bradley and the ongoing steadiness of Zack Littell.

Oh, yeah, and there’s one other thing: They’ll have their ace back next season.

Sidelined all season after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery last August, Shane McClanahan is set to face hitters in live batting practice for the first time next Thursday. After that, he’ll shut it down and head into the offseason with the expectation that he’ll be ready to go for Spring Training.

“I'm starting to feel like myself again and start to actually pitch, and it's exciting,” McClanahan said Thursday afternoon, standing in front of his locker in the Rays clubhouse. “I miss it. Miss it to death.”

The Rays have gotten along well enough without McClanahan, but there’s no denying what his return could mean to their already talented rotation. In 49 starts over the previous two seasons, the left-hander went 23-10 with a 2.85 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, 315 strikeouts in 281 1/3 innings, a pair of All-Star nods and two Opening Day starts.

Then, just like that, he was on the injured list, forced to sit and watch while recovering and rehabbing his injured left elbow. He’s still been a regular presence in the clubhouse and dugout, whenever the schedule allowed, but he’s ready to be more than just a spectator. Even the idea of facing hitters in live BP brings a smile to his face.

“I've been talking a lot of smack to people in here and telling them to get ready for Spring Training -- and I hope they're ready. It's awesome,” McClanahan said. “As a competitor, you miss it. So it's gonna be nice to take that competitive side out, instead of just in the weight room, running or my daily rehab. So I'm excited. I've been looking for this for a while.”

McClanahan said he went through the usual “ebbs and flows,” ups and downs of the Tommy John recovery process. He said he started to feel more like himself after throwing his first few bullpen sessions, a big step in the rehab program.

That’s brought him to this point, preparing to pitch a live BP session in Port Charlotte, Fla., his first time facing hitters since his last start at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 2, 2023. That should lead into what McClanahan called a “completely normal offseason,” albeit with one caveat.

“I don’t know what normal is anymore,” he said, grinning. “I think what makes us all in here kind of special is we're everything but normal. I'll try to be normal. But, you know, I'm a healthy guy now.”

McClanahan, 27, said he thought the Rays’ young starters have only scratched the surface of their potential this season, an encouraging idea considering the flashes of brilliance they’ve seen from Baz, Bradley and Pepiot.

Before Springs was shut down, they got a reminder of his ability. Littell has been arguably their most consistent starter. And it’s still to be determined what role Drew Rasmussen will play after working out of the bullpen to finish this season.

“A lot of options, right? Good problem to have for the Rays,” Littell said. “If everybody comes to camp and does what they are capable of doing, it should be really interesting.”

It should be that much more interesting with McClanahan atop the rotation.

“I take a lot of pride in wearing this TB, having the Rays logo across my chest and representing the community of Tampa Bay and this team,” he said. “And damn, am I excited to get back and do that.”