Royals Receive Encouraging Update on Cole Ragans' Injury Status

The Kansas City Royals are back in the win column after taking the final game of their series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, 2-0.

This isn’t the only good news coming out of Kansas City, as the Royals also received a positive update regarding starting pitcher Cole Ragans and his road back to the mound.

Ragans was placed on the 15-day injured list on May 8 with left elbow impingement. Given his injury history and an offseason dedicated to getting healthy, this was a significant blow for the southpaw. However, things appear to be trending in a positive direction for his recovery.

Cole Ragans back to throwing after injury

May 1, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans (55) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Jaylon Thompson of The Kansas City Star reported Friday that Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Ragans has been playing catch and recently increased both the volume and intensity of his throwing.

On Sunday, Thompson provided another encouraging update on Ragans' recovery.

“Royals LHP Cole Ragans threw 30 pitches in a bullpen today and felt good afterwards,” Thompson posted on X. “A further plan hasn’t been decided for next steps but Ragans is progressing and on track.”

This is very positive news regarding the Royals ace's path back to the rotation and positive news overall for a pitching staff that has dealt with multiple injuries early this season.

The most recent setback came Saturday when reliever Matt Strahm was placed on the injured list with right knee inflammation.

Ragans focused heavily on his health this offseason, which makes this injury stint so early in the season especially unfortunate. The 28-year-old got off to a rocky start this year, so he will look to bounce back from the injury and return to the dominant form he has shown he is capable of.

In 2026, Ragans has logged 35 1/3 innings across his first eight starts and posted a 4.84 ERA. While it is not the start he had hoped for, he has still shown flashes of his potential and continued to display his elite strikeout ability.

The left-hander has posted a 31.7% whiff rate and a 29.8% strikeout rate this season, according to Statcast.

Stephen Kolek, who has helped fill the void during Ragans' absence, looked strong in his most recent outing. In the Royals' win Sunday, Kolek delivered a quality start, allowing no earned runs across 6 1/3 innings while giving up four hits, one walk and recording three strikeouts.

The hope is that Ragans can continue progressing and return to contributing for Kansas City. So far, the recovery process appears to be moving in the right direction for the starter.

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