Cole Ragans Named Royals Opening Day Starter
The Kansas City Royals announced on Tuesday that left-hander Cole Ragans will start on Opening Day this year for the third consecutive season. Ragans will have a tough task with a matchup in Atlanta against the Braves for his first start of the 2026 campaign. 2025 was a lost season for the 28-year-old southpaw, as he missed time with groin and left-shoulder injuries, which limited him to just 13 starts. When healthy, the former first-round pick by the Texas Rangers in 2016 went 3-3 with a 4.67 ERA (2.50 FIP) and 1.18 WHIP with 98 strikeouts and 20 walks in 61 2/3 innings. In 2024, he was a first-time All-Star and had 223 strikeouts in 186 1/3 innings pitched. That was the only time in Ragan’s four MLB seasons that he’s exceeded 100 innings pitched. Under the hood, Ragans’ advanced metrics are solid, suggesting he has ace upside at a potential discount this year. In 10 2/3 spring training innings, he’s allowed 10 earned runs, but he’s walked only three and fanned 15. RotoBaller has Ragans ranked as the No. 10 fantasy starting pitcher going into his fifth year in the big leagues.
Source: Kansas City Royals
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