The Kansas City Royals announced Friday that left-handed starter Cole Ragans has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 7, because of a left elbow impingement.
One of the biggest things Ragans focused on this offseason was his health. The southpaw even turned down the opportunity to pitch in the World Baseball Classic with the goal of entering the 2026 season as healthy as possible.
Ragans has dealt with his fair share of injuries throughout his career. He underwent Tommy John surgery not once, but twice during his time in the minors. Most recently, he missed the majority of the 2025 season because of a left rotator cuff strain and a groin injury. Now, he is dealing with yet another setback early in the 2026 season.
Cole Ragans exited his start early Wednesday
During Ragans’ start Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians, he lasted just three innings and threw 58 pitches before exiting the game. It was later announced that he was dealing with left triceps and elbow tightness and would be evaluated the following day.
On Thursday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reported that Ragans is dealing with valgus extension overload in his elbow, and that next steps will be determined over the next few days.
Then, just one day later, the Royals announced on Friday that Ragans was being placed on the 15-day injured list.
Along with the injuries, Ragans has gotten off to a rocky start to the 2026 season on the mound. Through his first eight starts, he owns a 4.84 ERA across 35 1/3 innings. The long ball has also been an issue, as he has already allowed 10 home runs this season.
Despite the inconsistency, Ragans has still displayed elite strikeout ability and swing-and-miss stuff. He holds a 29.8% strikeout rate along with a 31.7% whiff rate this season, according to Statcast. He also recorded 11 strikeouts in his first win of the season in mid-April.
Because injuries plagued the Royals’ rotation in 2025, Kansas City was forced to trade for pitching depth at the deadline. One of those additions was Stephen Kolek, who has now been recalled from Triple-A Omaha to help fill the void in the rotation.
This is beyond unfortunate for Ragans given the amount of attention he put into his health this offseason. It is a major blow for both Kansas City and Ragans as he now looks to recover, rehab and return to the form that made him one of baseball’s elite pitchers during his 2024 campaign.
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