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The Kansas City Royals placed All-Star pitcher Cole Ragans on the 15-day injured list<\/a> ahead of Friday\u2019s series opener against the Detroit Tigers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ragans, 28, is dealing with Valgus Extension Overload (VEO) or \u201cpitcher\u2019s elbow.\u201d The club officially listed the injury as elbow impingement, which was retroactive to May 7.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI mean, to say I\u2019m not pissed off would be a lie,\u201d Ragans said. \u201cIt\u2019s never fun to go on the IL, but pretty optimistic about it. You know, pretty optimistic that I\u2019ll bounce back pretty quick.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ragans felt discomfort<\/a> during Wednesday\u2019s start against the Cleveland Guardians. He pitched three innings before exiting the game. Ragans underwent a medical evaluation on Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Royals gave him a lubricant injection to help loosen the impacted area on the back of his elbow. Ragans will now be shut down for a short period. From there, he should be able to start resuming baseball activities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s going to be a minimal stay on the IL, but he needs to be shut down three to four days,\u201d Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. \u201cThen, we will get him on the mound again, bullpens and we will see how it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Royals will continue to monitor Ragans. There isn\u2019t an exact timeline, but the plan is for Ragans to not miss more than the required IL stint.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ragans was relieved to know that there is not structural damage. He has already undergone Tommy John Surgery twice<\/a> in his professional career. Prior to Friday\u2019s game, Ragans said he felt fine and was looking forward to the rehab process.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve done everything I can do to, you know, be prepared to go out there every five days,\u201d Ragans said. \u201cJust sometimes, it just doesn\u2019t work out like that. Physically, you know, I feel good today. Obviously, you know, I\u2019m not playing catch, so I\u2019m not going to test it today. But, when I do play catch, I\u2019m pretty optimistic that I will feel good.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Royals are currently dealing with multiple pitching injuries. Royals relievers Bailey Falter and Carlos Est\u00e9vez are currently on the injured list. Falter is dealing with a similar elbow injury,<\/a> and Est\u00e9vez was shut down with a right-rotator-cuff strain<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Additionally, the club is without young starters Ryan Bergert and Ben Kudrna. Both players will miss the remainder of the 2026 season<\/a>. Bergert underwent Tommy John Surgery and Kudrna had surgery to repair an olecranon stress fracture on his elbow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Royals made a few corresponding moves on Friday. Right-handed pitchers Stephen Kolek and Steven Cruz were recalled from Triple-A Omaha. Meanwhile, Est\u00e9vez returned from his rehab assignment, and left-handed rookie Eric Cerantola was sent back to the minors.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n