Royals' Cole Ragans Set to Return From Elbow Injury

For now, it appears that the Kansas City Royals have avoided the worst-case scenario for their ace Cole Ragans. The big southpaw is expected to start a rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha on Saturday before returning to his MLB team.

Ragans, 28, has been sidelined with a left elbow impingement and on the 15-Day IL since May 8th. He left his last start against the Cleveland Guardians on May 6th after three scoreless innings, citing left triceps and elbow soreness. The Royals reported that Ragans had started playing catch last week, as well as ramping up his throwing workouts in hopes of returning to action.

An elbow injury for Ragans was the last thing that Royals fans wanted to hear, as the lefty has struggled with his health over the past couple of seasons. Last season, Ragans missed over three months with a rotator cuff strain in his left shoulder, as well as a stint on the IL with a groin injury in April. He also underwent Tommy John surgery twice in the span of just over a year when he was a member of the Texas Rangers' organization.

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

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) May 22, 2026

Kansas City is waiting for Ragans to regain his form in 2024, when he was named an American League All-Star and was one of the finalists for the AL Cy Young Award. He led the American League with a 10.8 K/9 and racked up a career-high 223 strikeouts in 186.1 innings of work. After missing significant time in 2025, the Royals were hopeful that Ragans would enter 2026 as their clear ace.

Ragans and the Royals are off to a rocky start in 2026. Through his first eight games, Ragans has a 1-4 record with a 4.84 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. Perhaps more concerning is that he has already allowed 10 home runs and issued 23 walks, both of which have already exceeded his totals from his 13 starts in 2025. The most alarming stat of Ragans' early-season performance? His FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) sits at a bloated 6.19, which is more than three runs higher than his career average of 3.42.

The Royals have not yet stated if Ragans will be ready to return to the rotation following his rehab start on Saturday. If all goes well, Ragans could lineup to start at home against the New York Yankees on May 27th, or the Royals could opt to give him an extra day of rest and start the series on Friday against his old team, the Texas Rangers.

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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 1:05 PM.