The Royals are hoping to have Ragans return as soon as possible.
The Kansas City Royals are currently playing without ace Cole Ragans, who is dealing with an elbow injury. The Royals are obviously hopeful that he can return as soon as possible, but it remains to be seen when the southpaw will join the starting rotation once again. According to Anne Rogers of MLB.com, Ragans is set to throw a bullpen on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old has pitched to a 4.84 ERA across eight starts this season. Ragans features the ceiling of one of the best pitchers in baseball, but he has struggled to find consistency on the mound. Now, Ragans is battling an injury. He is hoping to bounce back once he returns.
The fact that Ragans is set to throw a bullpen is encouraging. It suggests that the left-handed starter is trending in the right direction.
Rogers also shared updates on other Royals injured players. Kris Bubic is expected to throw 45 pitches in his rehab start on Tuesday night. Carlos Estevez and Nick Mears could end up throwing bullpens by the end of this week.
The ball club is battling no shortage of injury concerns at the moment. Their players are beginning to take steps forward, though.
Updates on the Royals' injured players will continue to be monitored and provided as they are made available.
Royals Continue to Underperform Amid Injury Trouble
The Royals have struggled for most of the season up to this point. They entered the '26 campaign with high expectations, but the team has underperformed overall without question. However, injuries have significantly impacted the team.
Kansas City is currently 27-39 and tied with the Detroit Tigers for last place in the American League Central standings. Both ball clubs are trailing the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the division by nine games as of this story's writing.
The Royals were able to go 3-1 in their last series against the Minnesota Twins. Perhaps their strong performance against a division rival will help them get back on track. The Royals need to figure things out as soon as possible.
On Tuesday, Kansas City is set to begin a three-game series against the Texas Rangers at home. The Rangers, despite being second in the American League West standings, are just 32-33 overall so far this year. It should be a winnable series for the Royals, but the Rangers are certainly still capable of getting the job done on the road.
