The Kansas City Royals placed All-Star pitcher Cole Ragans on the 15-day injured list ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Detroit Tigers.
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Ragans, 28, is dealing with Valgus Extension Overload (VEO) or “pitcher’s elbow.” The club officially listed the injury as elbow impingement, which was retroactive to May 7.
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“I mean, to say I’m not pissed off would be a lie,” Ragans said. “It’s never fun to go on the IL, but pretty optimistic about it. You know, pretty optimistic that I’ll bounce back pretty quick.”
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Ragans felt discomfort during Wednesday’s start against the Cleveland Guardians. He pitched three innings before exiting the game. Ragans underwent a medical evaluation on Thursday afternoon.
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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.
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“I think it’s going to be a minimal stay on the IL, but he needs to be shut down three to four days,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Then, we will get him on the mound again, bullpens and we will see how it goes.”
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The Royals will continue to monitor Ragans. There isn’t an exact timeline, but the plan is for Ragans to not miss more than the required IL stint.
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Ragans was relieved to know that there is not structural damage. He has already undergone Tommy John Surgery twice in his professional career. Prior to Friday’s game, Ragans said he felt fine and was looking forward to the rehab process.
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“I’ve done everything I can do to, you know, be prepared to go out there every five days,” Ragans said. “Just sometimes, it just doesn’t work out like that. Physically, you know, I feel good today. Obviously, you know, I’m not playing catch, so I’m not going to test it today. But, when I do play catch, I’m pretty optimistic that I will feel good.”
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The Royals are currently dealing with multiple pitching injuries. Royals relievers Bailey Falter and Carlos Estévez are currently on the injured list. Falter is dealing with a similar elbow injury, and Estévez was shut down with a right-rotator-cuff strain.
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Additionally, the club is without young starters Ryan Bergert and Ben Kudrna. Both players will miss the remainder of the 2026 season. Bergert underwent Tommy John Surgery and Kudrna had surgery to repair an olecranon stress fracture on his elbow.
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The Royals made a few corresponding moves on Friday. Right-handed pitchers Stephen Kolek and Steven Cruz were recalled from Triple-A Omaha. Meanwhile, Estévez returned from his rehab assignment, and left-handed rookie Eric Cerantola was sent back to the minors.
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Kolek will get an opportunity to pitch in the rotation. He made a spot start on Tuesday against the Guardians at Kauffman Stadium. He allowed three runs in six innings and earned his first win of the 2026 campaign.
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Now, he will slot into the starting mix alongside Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic and Noah Cameron.
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“We feel he is a big-leaguer,” Quatraro said of Kolek. “And it was our depth that was being tested while he was up before, and it’s being tested again. But, we feel very comfortable with him taking the ball.”
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The Royals will likely start Kolek on their next road trip. He is tentatively lined up to pitch against the Chicago White Sox during their series which begins Tuesday.
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