Cole Ragans Fantasy Stats

The Kansas City Royals announced on Friday that they placed left-hander Cole Ragans (elbow) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to May 7) with a left-elbow impingement and recalled right-handers Stephen Kolek and Steven Cruz from Triple-A Omaha in corresponding moves. The Royals said on Thursday that Ragans was pulled from his last outing early on Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians due to a valgus extension overload in his left elbow. Even though Ragans said he was feeling better on Thursday, he will be forced to miss at least the next two weeks. Kolek figures to get the first crack at replacing Ragans in the team's starting rotation in the short term. Ragans, 28, was a first-time All-Star in 2024, when he went 11-9 with a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 223:67 K:BB in 186 1/3 innings pitched across a career-high 32 starts for KC. He made only 13 starts in 2025 due to injury, though, and now he's hurt again after just eight starts in 2026. Ragans has gone 1-4 with a 4.84 ERA and 1.41 WHIP with 45 strikeouts and 23 walks in 35 1/3 frames, also allowing a league-high 10 home runs. He's rostered in 95% of Yahoo leagues and is worth holding to see if he can rediscover his 2024 form once he's healthy.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans (elbow) is dealing with valgus extension overload, according to manager Matt Quatraro. The southpaw was forced to make an early exit from his start on Wednesday after three innings of work. The Royals are optimistic that Ragans won't require a stint on the Injured List. Ragans is going to rest for the next few days before the team decides how to proceed going forward. For now, Ragans is day-to-day, but fantasy managers shouldn't be shocked if he does end up on the shelf.

Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro said that he doesn't think left-hander Cole Ragans' elbow/triceps injury is serious and is hopeful that he makes his next start, according to Royals broadcaster Joel Goldberg. Ragans felt his elbow/triceps in the third inning of his outing against the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday, and the Royals wanted to be cautious, which is why they pulled him. The 28-year-old southpaw tossed three shutout innings with one hit allowed, two walks, and four strikeouts before hitting the showers early. The Royals will likely send Ragans for testing, at which point we'll have a better idea of whether he'll have to miss any time. Ragans has been up and down so far in 2026, but it looked like he was about to have a really good performance against Cleveland before his arm injury on Wednesday. He's currently 1-4 on the season with a 4.84 ERA and 1.41 WHIP with 45 punchouts and 23 walks in 35 1/3 frames over his eight starts. Ragans has really been hurt by the long ball, surrendering a league-high 10 long balls.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans (elbow, triceps) exited early from his start on Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians due to elbow and triceps soreness, per Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star. Ragans threw 68 pitches across three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out four. The 28-year-old has gotten off to a slow start to the 2026 season, pitching to a 4.84 ERA and 1.42 WHIP with 45 strikeouts across 35 1/3 innings (eight starts). While the exact nature of Ragans' injury is not yet clear, any elbow issue is obviously a major concern for the left-hander. Should Ragans require a trip to the injured list, right-hander Stephen Kolek could be the favorite to take his spot in the Kansas City rotation.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans struggled mightily in Sunday's 7-0 loss to the Yankees, allowing seven earned runs while serving up three home runs for the second time this season and also walking a career-high eight batters in just 4 1/3 innings pitched. The southpaw managed to strike out six batters as well, but threw only 51 percent of his pitches for strikes (49 of 97). It has been a rough start to the season for the 28-year-old, now the owner of a 6.00 ERA (5.30 xFIP), 1.67 WHIP, and a lowly 4.3 percent K-BB%. The former All-Star dealt with injuries in 2025 that limited him to just 13 starts, including a rotator cuff injury that sidelined him for three months. Hopefully it is not related, but his fastball velocity is down almost a full mile per hour this season, and he's seen a significant drop-off in both chase and whiff rates (from 68th and 95th percentile, respectively, to 17th and 58th percentile). The 6-foot-4 hurler will be hard to trust his next time out against a much-improved Angels offense that is top 10 in runs per game (5.0), wOBA versus LHP (.341), and wRC+ (116) versus LHP. With Ragans' potential, he may not be a drop yet, but managers could justify sitting him until the lefty rights the ship.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (thumb) has been cleared to make his next start on Tuesday against the division-rival Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, according to MLB.com. Ragans left his previous start early against the Cleveland Guardians last week when he was hit by a comebacker on his thumb in the first inning, but thankfully, it didn't turn out to be a serious injury. The 28-year-old former first-rounder in 2016 is 0-3 with a 5.91 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, and 15:6 K:BB in 10 2/3 innings over his first three starts in 2026, and it won't get any easier in his fourth outing on Tuesday night against the Tigers. Ragans' pitch count isn't expected to be limited at all on Tuesday, but he'll certainly be riskier in fantasy baseball lineups in his first start after his thumb injury against a strong lineup. Ragans can bounce back in 2026 if he can stay healthy, as he's just one year removed from striking out 223 batters with a 3.14 ERA in 32 starts in 2024, when he was a first-time All-Star.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (thumb) "should be good" going forward after suffering a left-thumb contusion in his start on Wednesday versus the Cleveland Guardians, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. It sounds as though the Royals avoided the worst with Ragans after he was hit by a comebacker off the bat of Jose Ramirez in the first inning. He initially stayed in the game, but his thumb proved to be too stiff for him to continue, so the Royals pulled him as a precaution. The 28-year-old southpaw was charged with three earned runs while walking one and striking out two in just two-thirds of an inning on Wednesday. It's great news for Ragans, who made only 13 starts in 2025 due to injuries after his All-Star campaign in 2024. Ragans struck out 223 hitters in 32 starts for the Royals in 2024, and he's a prime bounce-back candidate this year if he can manage to stay healthy. His next scheduled start will come against the division-rival Detroit Tigers next Tuesday on the road.

Updating a previous report, Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (thumb) was diagnosed with a left-thumb contusion after leaving his start early on Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians after he was hit in the throwing hand by a comebacker off the bat of third baseman Jose Ramirez in the first inning, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. The 28-year-old southpaw appears to have avoided a serious injury, but he could still have his next turn in the starting rotation skipped as a precaution. Before leaving, Ragans was unfortunately charged with three earned runs on two hits while walking one and striking out two in two-thirds of an inning pitched. If the Royals clear Ragans to make his next start, he's scheduled to face the division-rival Detroit Tigers next week. If he can avoid further injuries, Ragans has a good chance to bounce back in 2026 for fantasy managers.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (hand) was hit on the left hand by a comebacker against the Cleveland Guardians during his start on Wednesday and was removed early, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Ragans initially stayed in the game after a lengthy visit from a trainer, but he was eventually pulled after facing five batters. His final line on the day was three earned runs allowed on two hits while walking one and striking out two in just two-thirds of an inning. The Royals will most likely send Ragans for X-rays to rule out any broken bones in his left hand. Fantasy managers will want to check back on the 28-year-old southpaw's status, but even if he avoids any structural damage in his throwing hand, Ragans might need to skip his next turn in KC's starting rotation. The former first-rounder was a first-time All-Star in 2024 but made only 13 starts in 2025 due to injuries. Ragans has plenty of bounce-back potential this year, but he'll need to stay healthy.

The Kansas City Royals announced on Tuesday that left-hander Cole Ragans will start on Opening Day this year for the third consecutive season. Ragans will have a tough task with a matchup in Atlanta against the Braves for his first start of the 2026 campaign. 2025 was a lost season for the 28-year-old southpaw, as he missed time with groin and left-shoulder injuries, which limited him to just 13 starts. When healthy, the former first-round pick by the Texas Rangers in 2016 went 3-3 with a 4.67 ERA (2.50 FIP) and 1.18 WHIP with 98 strikeouts and 20 walks in 61 2/3 innings. In 2024, he was a first-time All-Star and had 223 strikeouts in 186 1/3 innings pitched. That was the only time in Ragan's four MLB seasons that he's exceeded 100 innings pitched. Under the hood, Ragans' advanced metrics are solid, suggesting he has ace upside at a potential discount this year. In 10 2/3 spring training innings, he's allowed 10 earned runs, but he's walked only three and fanned 15. RotoBaller has Ragans ranked as the No. 10 fantasy starting pitcher going into his fifth year in the big leagues.