Royals share huge Cole Ragans injury announcement on Friday

Good news is on the horizon for the Kansas City Royals, who are still trying to make their mark in 2026. On Friday, the Royals shared an update on starting pitcher Cole Ragans.

“We anticipate LHP Cole Ragans will begin a rehab assignment tomorrow with Omaha (AAA).”

Simple as that, nothing more, nothing less. The Royals are hoping that their ace can return to the big leagues very soon. The southpaw has been out with an injury since May 6, when he was removed against the Cleveland Guardians after 3.0 innings of scoreless pitching. He was diagnosed with “pitcher’s elbow,” and needed a few weeks’ rest.

It’s been an interesting season for Ragans. The first time he faced the Guardians this season, he left in the first inning after a pitch hit him in the leg. Just under a month later, he took on the Guardians again and couldn’t make it past three innings before he was removed due to the injury.

In eight starts, he owns a 4.84 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, .213 OBA, and a career-worst .819 OOPS. He’s allowed 10 home runs this season, which is already three more than last season (13 starts) and five fewer than his career high allowed in 2024. Kansas City views Ragans as their ace, which is why he started on Opening Day. He has the skillset to be a great starter in this league. Despite the rough stats, he still has three quality starts on the season.

It’s unclear if Ragans will need more than one rehab start or multiple, but a great showing on Saturday should give the impression that he is ready to be back with the Royals. Stay tuned for more updates on how his rehab start on Saturday goes.