KC Royals ace Cole Ragans is back on the injured list — for a new reason
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Royals placed Cole Ragans on 15-day IL with a left rotator cuff strain
- Ragans’ absence marks his second IL stint in 2025 after earlier groin issues
- Lucas Erceg rejoined bullpen as Royals shuffled roster to offset rotation loss
The Kansas City Royals have placed All-Star pitcher Cole Ragans on the 15-day injured list with a left rotator cuff strain.
The 27-year-old left-handed starter has dealt with soreness since his recent start in St. Louis. He got some extra rest during this current turn in the rotation.
“I felt some stiffness after the last start,” Ragans said. “We had the ability to push it (his next start) back after the off-day. There are six of us right now, so pushed it back thinking it was just a little more soreness and trying to give it a few more days. It just didn’t get any better.”
The Royals will start Seth Lugo on Thursday in what could’ve been Ragans’ scheduled turn.
Ragans, meanwhile, heads to the injured list for the second time this season. He recently dealt with a left-groin strain.
“During the (previous) start, it wasn’t like a threw a singular pitch and felt something,” Ragans said. “It was nothing like that. It was after that I got pretty stiff and, you know, did some treatments and stuff. It just never really got better.”
Ragans missed a couple of starts with the groin injury. He returned against the Cardinals in Game 2 of the club’s doubleheader last Thursday.
Ragans allowed five earned runs in three innings in that start. His ERA this season is 5.18.
The Royals will lean on Lugo, Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic, Michael Lorenzen and Noah Cameron as starters with Ragans out.
Ragans is coming off an All-Star season, but he has faced injuries before. He underwent two Tommy John procedures earlier in his career.
He hasn’t experienced a rotator cuff strain before. He and the team will await further testing to learn the extent of the injury.
“To be honest with you, I don’t know why it’s happening,” Ragans said. “Never dealt with anything in my shoulder. I had the two elbow surgeries. Those were pretty blatant on what was going on when that happened. So I have no idea.”
Ragans admitted that he was frustrated with the start and stop nature of his season. He is hopeful he’ll get a better picture of his injury, and potential timetable for return, as soon as possible.
“I’m going to be pissed for a little bit,” he said. “I think I deserve to be pissed for a little bit, as nobody wants to be hurt. But it’s part of it and (you) take it day-by-day.
“I’m still going to cheer these guys on. And you know, I still get to be around baseball every day and that’s something you dream of as a kid. So I’ll try to take the positives out of it.”
Lucas Erceg returns
The Royals made a few roster moves in correspondence to Ragans’ injury. The club reinstated top reliever Lucas Erceg from the 15-day injured list and designated veteran pitcher Trevor Richards for assignment.
Additionally, right-hander Jonathan Bowlan was recalled from Triple-A Omaha.
Erceg had been sidelined with a low-back strain. Now he returns to his usual fireman role in the bullpen. Younger relievers Steven Cruz, Angel Zerpa and Daniel Lynch IV had helped fill the void while Erceg was out.
“I felt out of place watching the game from my living room for a little bit,” Erceg said. “So I’m glad to be back, glad to be healthy and glad to be a part of this team again — on the field, at least — and help them win some games.”
The Royals continued their home series against the New York Yankees Wednesday night. Ragans had been expected to pitch in KC’s next series, against the Oakland Athletics.
For now, Royals manager Matt Quatraro plans to stick with his five remaining starters and lean on the bullpen as needed.
“It’s very frustrating and I feel badly for him,” Quatraro said, referring to Ragans. “I mean, he is a diligent worker and he prepares like crazy to get out here. It’s not a lack of preparation or work ethic and sometimes you get hurt. You are throwing 95-98 mph and it’s something that puts a strain on your body, and especially on your arm.”
This story was originally published June 11, 2025 at 3:31 PM.
