Royals get very concerning Cole Ragans injury update after rehab start

Royals get very concerning Cole Ragans injury update after rehab start originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Kansas City Royals are having a rough 2026 season, and things seemingly aren’t getting much better as the year progresses.

One of the big concerns with the team right now is the starting rotation, and specifically the injury recovery of lefty ace Cole Ragans.

According to Anne Rogers of MLB.com, the Royals got a very concerning update on Ragans after his rehab start. Unfortunately, it appears Ragans is going to be out for a while longer.

Royals get concerning Cole Ragans injury update

“Cole Ragans did not bounce back well from his rehab start, manager Matt Quatraro said,” Rogers reports. “Felt similar symptoms with his elbow as before, even though he didn’t feel it while pitching. He’ll be shut down for 2-3 days before being reevaluated.”

The Royals’ All-Star left-hander, who landed on the injured list earlier this season due to an elbow issue, did not have a good reaction to his rehab outing.

Despite pitching well during this rehab outing, going 4.1 innings, allowing one run and three hits with three strikeouts, Ragans is not at 100% a few days later.

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He was trending in the right direction lately, but now he’s had a setback that could cause him to miss a while longer, depending on how his reevaluation in a few days goes.

Ragans has a 4.84 ERA this season in eight starts, as he’s once again struggling after his 4.67 ERA in 13 starts during his 2025 season.

While there’s no concrete injury update for Ragans just yet, this update from Quatraro is not a good one at all.

Ragans’ injury update is a worrying one, as he might have to miss a while longer if this elbow injury doesn’t get any better in the next few days for his reevaluation.