Cole Ragans Fantasy Stats

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.

After breaking out as a fantasy ace in 2024, Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans battled through injuries and underperformance in an underwhelming follow-up campaign in 2025. Across 61 2/3 innings (13 starts), the 28-year-old went 3-3 with a 4.67 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 98 strikeouts. Ragans spent time on the Injured List with two separate groin strains and also dealt with a rotator cuff issue. However, Ragans is reportedly back to full strength heading into 2026 and could be in line for a resurgent season. Even in a down year, Ragans still posted a ridiculous 38.1% strikeout rate in 2025. His outlier 64.4% strand rate indicates that his inflated 4.67 ERA in 2025 was a symptom of poor luck, as he logged an excellent 2.67 xERA and 2.50 FIP. As long as Ragans can stay healthy, he could easily re-emerge as a fantasy SP1 in 2026.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans was a big disappointment in 2025 after finishing fourth in American League Cy Young voting in 2024 with a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a career-high 223 strikeouts. Ragans only made 13 starts for the Royals due to groin and left-shoulder injuries -- he missed more than three months with a rotator-cuff strain. The 28-year-old southpaw had an elevated 4.67 ERA, but under the hood, he had a ridiculous 38.1% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate in 61 2/3 frames. Ragans made three starts in September after coming off the 60-day injured list, and he looked great with a 2.77 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and 22:4 K:BB in 13 innings. The stats on the surface don't look great in 2025, but now that he's fully healthy going into his fifth MLB season, there should be plenty of optimism that Ragans can bounce back. Fantasy managers should treat him as a top-15 starting pitcher, potentially at a discount because of durability concerns.

The Boston Red Sox are keeping a close eye on Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans this offseason and are interested in acquiring him in a trade, according to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. Boston already acquired veteran right-hander Sonny Gray from the St. Louis Cardinals this offseason to pair at the top of their starting rotation with left-hander Garrett Crochet, but it appears they might not be done. To land Ragans, it's going to take a "big return," but the Royals and Red Sox could be a match, as Boston is looking to unload an outfielder, potentially Jarren Duran. Connelly Early or Payton Tolle might be involved in a potential deal, which is nothing more than a rumor for now. Ragans was a first-time All-Star in 2024, but the 27-year-old southpaw was limited to only 13 starts due to injury and finished with a 4.67 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 61 2/3 innings. However, he finished the year strong after returning from injury, and his high-strikeout upside makes him a nice fantasy target for a rebound in 2026.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (shoulder) will return from the 60-day injured list to start against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday, Jaylon Thompson of the Kansas City Star reports. It will be the first start in the bigs since June 5 for Ragans, who has missed three-plus months with a strained rotator cuff. Ragans made three minor-league rehab starts, including two with Triple-A Omaha, and threw 56 pitches over 3 2/3 innings in his final appearance on Sept. 12. Considering his pitch count in the minors, the 27-year-old may not be stretched out enough to go deep into games yet. Regardless, he'll look to improve on the surprisingly poor 5.18 ERA he has logged in 48 2/3 innings with the Royals this season. With 76:16 K:BB and a 2.47 FIP, Ragans would have been an obvious candidate for positive regression had he been healthy over the past three months.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans (shoulder) threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings during a rehab start on Friday night for Triple-A Omaha. Overall, he allowed just three batters to get on base, and he tossed 56 pitches overall, with 34 of them being thrown for strikes. This is his second straight solid rehab outing, as he continues to ramp up in an attempt to pitch again for the Royals before the end of the season. He will likely need at least one more start before possibly returning shortly after that. There is a chance that he can provide fantasy players with two starts before the season ends, making him someone to stash for the stretch run.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (shoulder) is expected to begin a minor-league rehab assignment on Sunday, according to MLB.com's Anne Rogers. Ragans is scheduled to throw two innings with Triple-A Omaha, according to manager Matt Quatraro. It's been pretty much a lost year for Ragans in 2025 due to multiple injuries, but it's been a rotator-cuff strain in his left shoulder that has kept him on the 60-day injured list since the middle of June. It's good to hear that he's close to throwing in real games again, and Ragans is hoping to rejoin the Royals before the end of September. However, for fantasy purposes, the ship has pretty much already sailed this year. Ragans was a first-time All-Star in 2024 but has made only 10 starts this year and has posted a bloated 5.18 ERA and 1.29 WHIP, although he did have a nice 76:16 K:BB in 48 2/3 frames.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (shoulder) threw a two-up live batting practice session at Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday that consisted of around 30 pitches and could embark on a minor-league rehab assignment this weekend if everything checks out in the coming days, according to MLB.com. It was the first time that Ragans has faced hitters since being diagnosed with a torn left rotator cuff and placed on the injured list on June 11. The Royals are taking it slow with the 27-year-old left-hander, who is in the midst of an injury-plagued 2025 campaign. Ragans has a shot to rejoin the Royals before the end of September as they look to get into the postseason, but at this point, fantasy managers shouldn't be holding their breathe for him. He was an All-Star in 2023 but pitched to a 5.18 ERA and 1.29 WHIP with 76 K's and 16 walks in 10 starts before being shut down.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (shoulder) is one step closer to starting a minor-league rehab assignment after he threw approximately 40 pitches in a two-up bullpen session on Sunday. Ragans will face live hitters sometime soon, and if he gets through that without issues, he'll head to the minors. The 27-year-old landed on the injured list on June 8 with a strained rotator cuff and has missed almost three months since then. After performing like an ace in 2024, Ragans has only managed a 5.18 ERA across 10 starts and 48 2/3 innings this season. However, he has totaled a whopping 76 strikeouts against 16 walks, and he allowed an unsustainable .382 batting average on balls in play before going on the shelf. Ragans probably would have been in line for positive regression had he stayed healthy. He'll still have a chance to end the season on a positive note if he rejoins the Royals later this month.

Kansas City Royals starter Cole Ragans (shoulder) threw an "up-down" bullpen session on Sunday, and manager Matt Quatraro said afterward that the left-hander "feels good." Ragans has now thrown five bullpens since he went on the injured list on June 8 with a strained rotator cuff. The next step will be facing live hitters as he aims for a return in September. Ragans enjoyed a career year in 2024, but thanks in part to the injury, he hasn't been able to build on it this season. The 27-year-old has made 10 starts and posted a bloated 5.18 ERA across 48 1/3 innings. However, Ragans boasts impressive strikeout and walk numbers (14.05 K/9, 2.96 BB/9), and his underlying metrics (2.44 FIP, 2.54 FIP, and 2.71 xERA) suggest he has easily outperformed his results. If he's healthy over the last few weeks of the season, Ragans should be in line for positive regression.