The Royals need Ragans back as soon as possible.
The Royals finally got their first real look at Cole Ragans on a mound that mattered since early May, and the early word from his manager was about as good as it gets.
Their 2024 All-Star left-hander made his first rehab start Saturday with Triple-A Omaha against the St. Paul Saints, throwing 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball on 68 pitches with 44 of them for strikes.
Manager Matt Quatraro met with reporters Sunday morning ahead of the series finale against the Seattle Mariners, and the biggest takeaway from his breakdown was the velocity, which sat right where it needed to be on a fastball that touched 97.6 mph.
What Quatraro Liked
Quatraro broke it down in pieces, and each piece said something the Royals needed to hear.
"He felt good," Quatraro said. "Held his velo. He's not back here yet this morning, but we'll see how he feels when he gets here."
The numbers backed up the manager.
Ragans racked up 10 swings-and-misses across the outing and looked like the same pitcher who walked off the mound on May 8 with a left elbow impingement that put him on the injured list.
He worked around three hits and a walk, struck out three, and never lost the velo from the first inning all the way through the fifth.
That stretch is what the Royals were really watching for.
"Everything was really encouraging from yesterday," Quatraro added. "The stuff looked good, the changeup was good. Threw strikes to the lefties. Got a couple of weak ground balls. There were a lot of positives."
The changeup has always been his go-to for whiffs.
A Rough Start to 2026
Through eight starts this season, Ragans is 1-4 with a 4.84 ERA over 35 1/3 innings, which is not what Kansas City had in mind when they handed him the ball as their Opening Day starter for the second year in a row.
He came out of his May 6 start against the Cleveland Guardians after three innings with elbow soreness, and that was the last time the Royals saw him in a big-league uniform.
It is also why the expectations were so steep coming in.
Ragans finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting in 2024, when he went 11-9 with a 3.14 ERA across 32 starts.
That is the bar.
Why the Royals Need Him Back
Kansas City woke up Sunday at 21-31 after the 5-0 win over Seattle the night before, fourth in the American League Central in a division nobody has run away with yet.
Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Noah Cameron, and Stephen Kolek have carried the rotation since Ragans and Kris Bubic both went down, and the bullpen has been a mess too, with closer Carlos Estévez shut down for three weeks.
Plugging Ragans back into the rotation would change the whole staff.
Based on what Quatraro saw Saturday night, that day is not very far off.
