The Kansas City Royals are preparing for the 2026 MLB season. On Tuesday, the team made an unsurprising official decision by announcing that Cole Ragans will start on Opening Day. 

For Ragans, the opportunity represents his third consecutive Opening Day start.

The announcement was not shocking. As long as he was healthy, Ragans was always going to be the clear front-runner to earn the opportunity. With that being said, Ragans endured a difficult all-around 2025 campaign. He is hoping to get back on track in 2026. 

If Kansas City is going to compete this year, Ragans will need to have a big season.

Ragans, 28, was an All-Star in 2024. He finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting as well.

The southpaw ultimately pitched to a stellar 3.14 ERA while recording 223 strikeouts across 32 starts. He was coming off of a strong 2023 season as well, so it seemed as if Ragans was on the verge of becoming one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. 

Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers had a similar trajectory. He won the AL Cy Young in 2024. Heading into 2025, Ragans and Skubal were among the potential Cy Young candidates. 

Skubal ended up having another huge year and won the Cy Young again, while Ragans was limited to 13 starts due to injury. He struggled while on the mound as well.

The Royals left-hander recorded an underwhelming 4.67 ERA. He was limited, though, so perhaps Ragans simply never found a rhythm.

2026 will be an important year for Ragans. He is hoping to prove that he can still perform at an ace-caliber level in the big leagues. The Royals obviously still believe in him, and there is reason to think that he can get back on track. There is uncertainty around the situation, though.

So, how will Ragans perform in 2026? If he is able to make at least 25 or more starts, it would not be surprising to see him have a strong year. He is an extremely talented pitcher. He's been impressive when pitching in full seasons. 

Ragans has made more than 14 starts only once, which came in his impressive 2024 season. As a result, he will need to prove that he can stay healthy for another full campaign.

Cole Ragans will look to accomplish that feat in 2026 with a Royals team that has serious postseason aspirations.