Cole Ragans Opens Up About Growth, Confidence Heading into 2026

Ragans sounds confident about 2026.

Sep 28, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans (55) throws a pitch against the Athletics during the first inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Royals missed the postseason in 2025 after winning a Wild Card spot in 2024. Their offense let them down, but is much improved entering 2026. Meanwhile, the starting rotation remains the absolute strength of the team.

In the mix are Cole Ragans, Kris Bubic, Michael Wacha, Noah Cameron, Seth Lugo, Ryan Bergert and others. Ragans struggled in 2025, landing on the injured list twice after a monster 2024 season.

However, he appears to be in good spirits about the 2026 season. In an interview with MLB Network analyst and former pitcher Jake Peavy, Ragans discussed his health and where things stand in spring training.

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Ragans could be Royals' X factor

Sep 17, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans (55) delivers a pitch against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

"I feel great. I feel as good as I ever have, ready to roll. Got the few starts in there at the end of the year, going into the offseason with a clear conscience but I feel great, ready to roll," Ragans said.

"There's some positives to take away from last year. I obviously had the couple of injuries, so just learning a little more about myself. I feel like we never stop learning, so just figuring out the little things that kind of keep me going, keep me healthy, add in some little things, take some little things out just to keep the body where it needs to be."

Ragans was limited to just 13 starts last year, going 3-3 with a 4.67 ERA after his All-Star campaign in 2024. However, if he can stay healthy, he could be a major key to the Royals' potential success in 2026.

If he is back to where he was in 2024, the Royals are a completely different team. They already had great starting pitching depth, but it would be very important for them if Ragans is back to where he once was.

In that case, the Royals would have a much better chance of winning the American League Central for the first time since 2015. The 28-year-old left-hander is now the leader of the pitching staff, and if he can improve, so too should the rest of the staff.

It will be interesting to see what Ragans is able to accomplish this year. The Royals could be a different team if he is on.

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