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KANSAS CITY, Mo. \u2014 After exiting his last start early, the Kansas City Royals<\/a> ace is headed to the injured list, the club announced on Friday.<\/p>\n Left-handed pitcher Cole Ragans<\/a> is now on the 15-day IL with a left elbow impingement. The stint is retroactive to Thursday, May 7. The news comes after Ragans left a start<\/strong><\/a> after just three innings of work vs. the Cleveland Guardians<\/a> on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Royals pitching depth continues taking blows during series split vs. Guardians <\/a><\/p>\n Ragans left that game citing left elbow soreness, and MLB.com\u2019s Anne Rogers confirmed on Thursday that Ragans had valgus extension overload<\/strong><\/a>, or pitcher\u2019s elbow.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a great sign for the Royals\u2019 Opening Day starter, who has struggled to put together a healthy season of work outside of 2024 with the Royals. So far in 2026, he\u2019s been inconsistent as well, posting a 4.84 ERA over 35.1 innings pitched.<\/p>\n Later on Friday, Rogers reported<\/strong><\/a> that the IL stint for Ragans is expected to be short, but is still dependent on how he feels after three to four days off of throwing.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s never fun to go on the IL,\u201d Ragans said. \u201cBut pretty optimistic that I\u2019ll bounce back pretty quick.\u201d<\/p>\n In the same announcement<\/strong><\/a>, the Royals announced that RHP Steven Cruz<\/a> is being recalled from AAA Omaha, along with RHP Stephen Kolek<\/a>. Kolek will likely fill in for Ragans during his missed starts, while Cruz will replace RHP Eric Cerantola<\/a> in the bullpen.<\/p>\n