{"id":1953206,"date":"2025-08-10T23:49:37","date_gmt":"2025-08-10T23:49:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=1953206"},"modified":"2025-08-10T23:49:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-10T23:49:37","slug":"royals-officials-expressing-optimism-for-2025-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/royals-officials-expressing-optimism-for-2025-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Royals Officials &#8216;Expressing Optimism&#8217; For 2025 Return"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"style_hfl21i-o_O-style_uhlm2\"\/>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_y1n7zjzg3\">The Kansas City Royals&#8217; projected ace for the 2025 season has instead been missing in action for months.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_po1o2qbkr\">Left-hander Cole Ragans didn&#8217;t get off to the start he wanted this season, but he was striking out a ton of batters. Then, the injury concerns began, the most notable of which was the rotator cuff strain that put him on the injured list in June. <\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_9movkh6rx\">As Ragans tries to rehab his shoulder in time to make a return to the mound before season&#8217;s end, Royals reporter Anne Rogers of MLB.com had some insights to share on Wednesday regarding the team&#8217;s state of mind about the lefty. <\/p>\n<div data-mm-id=\"_wl7w9o54j\" class=\"\">\n<div class=\"style_120ff32\">\n<figure data-id=\"_wl7w9o54j\" class=\"base_1ruub6q\" data-mm-type=\"image\"><canvas class=\"style_1e28o3x-o_O-initial_9vayoh\"\/><picture class=\"base_1emrqjj-o_O-initial_fzbddc-o_O-style_1a1csmw\"><source\/><source\/><source\/><img class=\"base_1emrqjj-o_O-initial_fzbddc-o_O-style_1a1csmw\" alt=\"Cole Ragans\" title=\"Cole Ragans\"\/><\/picture><noscript><picture class=\"base_1emrqjj\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3138,h_1765,x_0,y_71\/c_fill,w_360,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Finside_the_royals%2F01k22as2rpnp7y73yvn7.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3138,h_1765,x_0,y_71\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Finside_the_royals%2F01k22as2rpnp7y73yvn7.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3138,h_1765,x_0,y_71\/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Finside_the_royals%2F01k22as2rpnp7y73yvn7.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 719px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3138,h_1765,x_0,y_71\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Finside_the_royals%2F01k22as2rpnp7y73yvn7.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3138,h_1765,x_0,y_71\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Finside_the_royals%2F01k22as2rpnp7y73yvn7.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3138,h_1765,x_0,y_71\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Finside_the_royals%2F01k22as2rpnp7y73yvn7.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 1079px)\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3138,h_1765,x_0,y_71\/c_fill,w_620,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Finside_the_royals%2F01k22as2rpnp7y73yvn7.jpg 1x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3138,h_1765,x_0,y_71\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Finside_the_royals%2F01k22as2rpnp7y73yvn7.jpg 2x, https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,w_3138,h_1765,x_0,y_71\/c_fill,w_1240,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2Finside_the_royals%2F01k22as2rpnp7y73yvn7.jpg 3x\" media=\"(min-width: 1080px)\"\/><\/picture><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><figcaption class=\"tagStyle_1ulimm5-o_O-text_1j8vahs\">Apr 8, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Cole Ragans (55) pitches during the fourth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images \/ William Purnell-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_0bkux1p9e\">Rogers said Ragans is getting close to throwing off a mound, and though there are still many hurdles to clear, the <a target=\"_blank\" class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_1gn6yjz\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mlb.com\/royals\/news\/royals-reddit-ama-reporter-anne-rogers\" target=\"_blank\">Royals still believe<\/a> he has a good shot at making it back.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_j9jq2apxx\">&#8220;Team officials continue to express their optimism that Ragans will return this year. It&#8217;s still going to be a bit, though, because Ragans has to go through a full build up &#8212; bullpens, live BPs, and then a rehab assignment. The season schedule is definitely going to come into play here as they map out that return,&#8221; wrote Rogers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_km1o37hbj\">&#8220;I&#8217;ll say this, too: given the nature of the injury and what Ragans means to this team now and in the future, they are not going to push him back before he&#8217;s ready. This is about the long-term plan &#8212; they need him healthy and pitching like he did last year for many years to come.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_8wrghw63k\">Ragans, who signed a three-year, $13.25 million contract this offseason to buy out his first two years of arbitration, had two Tommy John surgeries while he was a prospect coming up in the Texas Rangers&#8217; system.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_i4el2oci5\">The lefty has been dominant on the whole since arriving in a 2023 trade for reliever Aroldis Chapman, posting a 3.35 ERA in 54 starts and punching out 388 batters. He also made the American League All-Star team last year, finishing fourth in Cy Young voting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_zh491wcln\">At age 27, Ragans still has a lot of time left to make an impact for these Royals. Sure, they hope it will be this season, but with the team hovering around .500, it&#8217;s not worth taking the chance on skipping a single step in the rehab process.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_mxvz7o-o_O-style_12bse5w-o_O-style_6s3kpz\" data-mm-id=\"_yolwfmtom\"><em><strong>More MLB: <\/strong><\/em><a target=\"_blank\" class=\"tagStyle_16dbupz-o_O-style_1gn6yjz\" href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/royals\/news\/royals-insider-shares-clubhouse-reaction-to-trading-away-popular-backstop-jackson3\"><em><strong>Royals Insider Shares Clubhouse Reaction To Trading Away Popular Backstop<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.si.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Kansas City Royals&#8217; projected ace for the 2025 season has instead been missing in action for months. Left-hander Cole Ragans didn&#8217;t get off to the start he wanted this season, but he was striking out a ton of batters. Then, the injury concerns began, the most notable of which was the rotator cuff strain [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1953207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1953206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-royalty"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Royals-Officials-Expressing-Optimism-For-2025-Return.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1953206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1953206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1953206\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1953207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1953206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1953206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1953206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}