Royals dodge injury scare after pitcher Cole Ragans exits early vs. Guardians
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Ragans exited after a line drive struck his left hand in the first inning.
- Ragans tossed warmup throws after the hit, then was removed for Luinder Avila.
- Royals haven’t provided updates; Estévez and Falter are on the injured list.
Kansas City Royals left-handed starter Cole Ragans exited Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians due to an apparent hand injury.
However, the Royals appear to have dodged an injury scare.
After KC’s 10-2 loss to the Guardians at Progressive Field, Ragans said he was fine. He plans to get treatment and is hopeful he can make his next start.
Officially, the injury is a left thumb contusion.
“Just a little stiff,” Ragans said. “Obviously, wore it directly off the hand, but should be good to go.”
Ragans was hit by a first-inning line drive off the bat of Guardians star Jose Ramirez. He knocked down the ball but then immediately winced and flexed his left hand.
Royals manager Matt Quatraro and the club’s training staff came out to check on Ragans. He then threw multiple warmup tosses, but a few were off-target.
“He was numb, and we were thinking the feeling would come back,” Quatraro said of the lengthy mound visit. “He said he didn’t have much pain. And then, it didn’t go away.”
The Royals initially left Ragans in the game. He walked Guardians designated hitter David Fry on four pitches and then gave up a two-run double to rookie outfielder Chase DeLauter.
“You know, when you get hit somewhere like that, it just kind of goes numb,” Ragans said. “So just trying to get the blood flow back in there. Get a little bit of feeling back in there. Obviously, didn’t throw many strikes after that.”
At that point, Quatraro and the KC training staff returned to the mound. This time, Ragans was replaced by 24-year-old right-hander Luinder Avila.
“Obviously, I was going to be as cautious as I can with him in that situation,” Quatraro said.
Ragans, 28, entered Wednesday’s game with a 3.60 ERA. The Royals are currently missing relief pitchers Carlos Estévez and Bailey Falter; both are on the injured list.
It was set to be an encouraging start for Ragans. He said he felt great up until the injury.
“Prior to that, felt really good,” Ragans said. “Probably the best I’ve felt in a long time. I felt like I was commanding the ball well, obviously, and just a tough break right there.”
The Royals dropped the series to the Guardians. The offense went cold down the stretch as the club returns to Kauffman Stadium on Thursday. KC will play a four-game series against the Chicago White Sox. From there, there is an off-day before a six-game road trip to Detroit and New York.
Ragans would be in line for a Tuesday start against the Detroit Tigers. The Royals will monitor him over the upcoming days.
For now, Ragans avoided a major injury scare.
“I think we got pretty lucky,” Quatraro said. “It looks like a contusion, and it’s not really swollen. He got it on the pad of his thumb, down by the wrist. But I didn’t get a chance to look at it. I don’t know if it’s a glancing blow or not, but it’s just stiff and not too much swelling. Nothing’s broken, so that’s a big break for us.”
This story was originally published April 8, 2026 at 1:02 PM.
