The Kansas City Royals have finally begun to live up to expectations. After a disappointing month of April, Kansas City has completely flipped its season. The Royals are undefeated in the month of May, and entering Wednesday they were looking to win a sixth straight game with Cole Ragans on the mound.
Entering the season, Ragans was widely viewed as the ace of the pitching staff. However, he has not performed to that standard so far. Through his first seven starts, Ragans posted a 5.29 ERA and a 1-4 record.
His elite strikeout ability has remained intact, 41 punchouts in 32 1/3 innings, but that has been the lone bright spot. For a pitcher who was an All-Star and finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting just two years ago, his 2026 performance has been a clear disappointment.
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Then, during his start on Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians, Ragans frustrating season took another troubling turn. He was in the midst of one of his best outings of the year.
Through three innings, he had allowed just one hit, no earned runs and collected four strikeouts. But in the top of the fourth inning, Ragans was unexpectedly removed from the game after throwing only 58 pitches, a clear sign something was wrong.
Moments later, the Royals announced the reason for his early exit. “Cole Ragans left tonight's game with left tricep/elbow soreness,” the team wrote on X.
This is not the first time Ragans has exited a game early due to injury this season. The 28-year-old southpaw suffered a left thumb contusion in early April, also against the Guardians, but missed no time. For a pitcher with a lengthy injury history dating back to his time with the Texas Rangers, any arm-related issue is concerning.
The Royals will now monitor Ragans closely as they await further evaluation. His health is important to Kansas City’s long-term outlook. With the team surging and the division wide open, losing their presumed ace for an extended stretch would be a major setback.
