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Kansas City Royals ace Cole Ragans underwent left-elbow surgery Wednesday.<\/p>\n
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Ragans, 28, is expected to miss the remainder of the 2026 season. It\u2019s his third major elbow procedure as he previously underwent two Tommy John surgeries<\/a> earlier in his career.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt was some time today,\u201d Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. \u201cAnd I have not gotten any word on what has happened in the surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Royals sent Ragans to visit with Dr. Neal ElAttrache. The surgery comes after Ragans dealt with left-elbow impingement<\/a>. On May 6, Ragans left his start against the Cleveland Guardians after three innings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He was diagnosed with Valgus Extension Overload (VEO) \u2014 an elbow condition that\u2019s more commonly known as \u201cpitcher\u2019s elbow.\u201d The injury sidelined him for weeks as he continued to build up his arm strength.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At times, Ragans made significant progress. He recovered enough to go on a rehab assignment<\/a> with Triple-A Omaha. On May 23, Ragans allowed one run across 4 \u2153 innings with the Storm Chasers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It was a step in the right direction. However, Ragans didn\u2019t recover well and suffered a setback after the outing. And the Royals decided to shut him down<\/a> for a short period.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ragans saw a team doctor and resumed his rehab program. He was back throwing bullpens \u2014 as noted by a 23-pitch side session on June 10.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ragans looked fine during the workout. Yet, he didn\u2019t respond favorably the next day, and it led to the Royals having him see additional doctors<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At that time, it was determined that Ragans needed surgery. The Royals are currently without starters Kris Bubic, Ryan Bergert and Ben Kudrna.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ragans posted a 4.84 ERA in eight starts. He allowed 10 homers while striking out 45 batters in 35 \u2153 innings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s not going to be available opening day next year,\u201d Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. \u201cWe know that. You got to try to plan around that, but also with optimism that he\u2019s coming back at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Royals have relied on young starters Stephen Kolek and Luinder Avila as replacements. Still, Ragans is a key part of the club\u2019s future. He was the 2025 opening day starter and recently signed a renewed contract<\/a> this offseason.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWith Cole having gone through it before, he knows what this challenge is,\u201d Picollo said. \u201cHe\u2019s going to be up for it. He\u2019s in the right frame of mind. He knows what\u2019s ahead of him and he\u2019ll be able to get back as quick as possible. And hopefully, he\u2019s a great addition to our team sometime in the middle part of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n