Royals' Cole Ragans Faces New Obstacle During Recovery Process

The Kansas City Royals have dealt with several injuries to their pitching staff this month. From the rotation to the bullpen, multiple key arms are currently sidelined with injuries.

For the rotation, this is especially frustrating considering the injuries the group dealt with last season.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro gave an unfortunate update regarding Kansas City’s ace and how his road back to the mound is progressing.

Cole Ragans experiences setback in recovery

Apr 25, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Cole Ragans (55) pitches during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Royals left-hander Cole Ragans made his first rehab start this past weekend with Kansas City's Triple-A affiliate in Omaha after being placed on the 15-day injured list with a left elbow impingement. Following the outing, the southpaw did not feel his best.

“He did not recover well from his start, so he’s going to be shut down for a couple of days,” Quatraro said, per KC Sports Network. “Very similar symptoms to what he had before.”

Ragans will not throw for the next two to three days as the Royals take an extremely cautious approach with his injury.

During Saturday’s rehab start, Ragans pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out three. The lone run came on a home run.

Given that he has already undergone two Tommy John surgeries in the past, any elbow discomfort will not be taken lightly.

This is unfortunate news for Ragans, especially considering things appeared to be trending in the right direction just a week ago. He had been progressing well and seemed to be on track in his recovery.

For the 28-year-old, he spent this past offseason focusing on improving his overall health.

After dealing with a left rotator cuff strain and a left groin strain that caused him to miss the majority of last season, Ragans made his health a top priority this offseason.

Along with Ragans, Kris Bubic is also on the 15-day injured list with left elbow soreness. Those are two key arms currently missing from the Royals' rotation.

The Royals are hoping Ragans can respond well after taking some time off and get back on track in his recovery as he works toward returning to the mound for Kansas City.

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