The Kansas City Royals braced themselves for the worst possible outcome for their ace pitcher. On Wednesday, Cole Ragans saw his frustrating season come to an abrupt end after undergoing successful surgery on the UCL of his throwing elbow.
The star southpaw has been on the IL since early May with what the team has diagnosed as a valgus extension overload in his left elbow. Ragans attempted a rehab assignment in late May, but suffered a setback and did not recover well from his appearance. The pitcher revealed that he had felt fine during and after his starts, but woke up the next morning with stiffness in his elbow.
Wednesday's surgery caps off an injury-marred season for Ragans and a frustrating stretch of action. Since his breakout season in 2024, in which he finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting, Ragans has made just 21 total MLB starts. Ragans missed most of the 2025 season with a rotator cuff injury and was hopeful that 2026 would be a fresh start.
Elbow injuries are nothing new for Ragans. Before reaching the majors, Ragans underwent two Tommy John surgeries on his arm while a member of the Texas Rangers organization. Ragans was acquired from the Rangers in a deal for Aroldis Chapman in 2023 and immediately made his debut for the Royals as a starter.
In eight appearances this season, Ragans struggled to a 1-4 record, while posting a 4.84 ERA and 1.415 WHIP. Across just 35.1 innings of work, Ragans gave up 10 home runs, which was already three more than he allowed during the entire 2025 season.
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The Royals' timeline for Ragans to return to pitching is 10-12 months, per Jaylon T. Thompson of the Kansas City Star. That means Ragans likely will not be able to return until close to or even after the 2027 MLB All-Star Game.
