Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (groin) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Friday afternoon, and as long as that goes well, he could be ready to return to KC's starting rotation on Monday at home against the division-rival Chicago White Sox. Ragans has avoided being placed on the injured list, but a mild left-groin strain caused him to be skipped from his last start in the rotation on Wednesday versus the Tampa Bay Rays. Pitching prospect Noah Cameron looked good in his MLB debut in a spot start on Wednesday, but he was already sent back to Triple-A Omaha, so it appears that the 27-year-old Ragans will be ready to go for Monday's series opener against the White Sox. He has a disappointing 4.40 ERA through his first six starts but has also contributed 46 strikeouts in 30 2/3 frames. If Ragans is good to go on Monday, fantasy managers will want to start him in all formats.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (groin) will not make his regularly scheduled start in Tampa against the Rays on Wednesday, according to manager Matt Quatraro. Instead, the Royals will call up pitching prospect Noah Cameron to make the start in Ragans' place on Wednesday. Ragans was pulled from his last start last Thursday against the Colorado Rockies due to a mild strain of his left groin. The 27-year-old southpaw said he had been feeling better since the injury, though, so there's a good chance he'll only have to miss one turn through KC's rotation. Fantasy managers will be hoping he'll avoid a stint on the injured list and will be able to make his next scheduled start in a great matchup on May 5 against the division-rival Chicago White Sox. If Ragans is cleared for that outing, he'll be a must-start in all fantasy formats.

Although Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (groin) has been feeling better after playing catch since suffering a mild left-groin strain in Game 1 of a doubleheader on April 24 against the Colorado Rockies, it's still unclear if he'll be able to make his next scheduled start on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Ragans said he's currently day-to-day. Whether he makes the start on April 30 will depend on how he feels in the next couple of days. Ragans has now allowed nine earned runs in his last seven innings, and he said the tightness in his quad was affecting his command on breaking balls. Despite allowing two homers in his previous 27 2/3 frames (five starts), he gave up two homers to the Rockies last Thursday before being pulled. Ragans leads the American League with 46 strikeouts but will be a bit more risky in fantasy whenever he makes his next start.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans (groin) was forced to exit early from Thursday's start against the Colorado Rockies. On Friday, Royals' manager Matt Quatraro announced that Ragans is dealing with a mild groin strain. He continued by saying that Ragans feels better, but the team will monitor him over the next few days. It's unclear at the moment if Ragans will be able to take the ball against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday. It sounds like he might be able to avoid a trip to the injured list, but that all depends on how the next few days go for Ragans. Fantasy managers will need to monitor his status over the next couple of days.

The Kansas City Royals announced that left-hander Cole Ragans (groin) was pulled from his outing in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the visiting Colorado Rockies on Thursday due to groin tightness. Ragans only made it three innings in the eventual 7-4 win, giving up four earned runs on three hits (two homers allowed) while walking two and striking out four for a no-decision. The 27-year-old southpaw will most likely go for additional testing, and fantasy managers should probably prepare for the worst, which would mean Ragans landing on the 15-day injured list. If his groin injury is minor, Ragans is lined up to make his next start next week against the Tampa Bay Rays. The former first-rounder came into Thursday's outing with a 3.58 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 42:7 K:BB in 27 2/3 innings over his five starts. Check back on Friday morning for an update on the severity of his groin injury.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans had his swing-and-miss stuff going during Sunday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. The left-hander was electric as he struck out 10 batters while allowing one run on four hits over 7 2/3 innings in the win. Ragans has now posted three straight outings with 10 strikeouts or more. He gave up three runs in his season opener, but has allowed one run in each of his last three starts. He's a must-start fantasy option as he takes a 2.28 ERA into his next start versus the Detroit Tigers.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans was dealing in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Twins. Ragans pitched six innings, allowing one run on four hits and no walks with 11 strikeouts. He also hit a batter. Unfortunately for him, Pablo Lopez (hamstring) was able to silence the Royals' bats, and they weren't able to pull ahead until late in the game. Ragans has delivered what fantasy managers were expecting through his first three starts, compiling a 2.81 ERA, a 13.50 K/9 rate, and a 2.25 BB/9 rate in 16 IP. He has yet to earn a win, but he has done everything in his power to position himself for them. Ragans will draw a decent matchup in his next start at the Guardians, a lineup that has been mediocre to this point but has not struck out much.

Although he only went five innings and picked up a no-decision in Wednesday's 3-2 extra-innings loss to the hosting Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field, Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans had a strong day on the bump for his fantasy managers. Ragans allowed only one earned run on five hits (one homer) while walking two and striking out 10. The only run he gave up came in the first inning on a solo shot by Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio. The former first-rounder hasn't been all that efficient in his first two starts of the 2025 season and has gone just 10 total innings, but he's generating plenty of swings and misses and now has 13 strikeouts. The 27-year-old southpaw should be considered a must-start in his next scheduled outing at Kauffman Stadium against the division-rival Minnesota Twins.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans, who tossed two scoreless innings in his Cactus League debut on Monday against the Athletics, has been focusing on his slider early in spring training. He averaged 96.9 mph with the 17 fastballs that he threw and topped out at 98.3 mph. Ragans wants to get back to the success he had in the second half of 2023 when he first introduced his slider. "The movement was right where we wanted it," Ragans said. "Just more so now getting it to that down and glove side [part of the plate] instead of over the plate." The 27-year-old southpaw just signed a three-year, $13.25 million extension with KC several weeks ago after he became one of the team's top starters in 2024 with a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 223 K's in 186 1/3 regular-season innings. Fantasy managers should target him as a low-end No.1/high-end No. 2 starting pitcher.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans has signed a new extension with the organization on Friday. The southpaw has reached a three-year, $13.25 million contract extension with the Royals. This deal will cover the upcoming 2025 campaign and two seasons of arbitration eligibility. At first glance, this seems like a steal for the Royals considering Ragans is one of the best left-handed starters in the MLB right now. However, the 2024 campaign was also Ragans first year with over 100 innings pitched, so this extension does give him some financial security in case of an injury or possible regression. Although, the 27-year-old appears to only be getting better after his fantastic 2024 campaign. Ragans posted a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 223/67 K/BB ratio across 32 starts. The Royals are hopeful that Ragans can be their ace for the foreseeable future.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (calf) is lined up to start Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Monday. Veteran right-hander Michael Wacha will get the opener in Game 1 on Saturday. Ragans was forced from his outing in Game 1 of the Wild-Card series versus the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday due to left-calf cramping, but he still managed to throw six shutout innings in the victory and will be able to make his next start in the Division Series. Ragans was the Royals' ace in 2024, going 11-9 with a 3.14 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP and 223 strikeouts in 186 1/3 innings over his 32 starts. The 26-year-old southpaw faced the Yankees just once in 2024, picking up a quality start by allowing two earned runs with three walks and seven strikeouts in six innings pitched for a no-decision back on Sept. 11 in the Bronx. Ragans will be facing one of baseball's best offenses, but he has the stuff to shut them down if he's on.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (calf) was pulled from his start early on Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards in Game 1 of the wild-card series with left-calf cramps. Ragans said his leg cramped up with two batters left in his final inning and could have gone back out. He will be ready to go in the ALDS against the New York Yankees if the Royals advance past the Orioles this week. Before departing, Ragans threw six shutout innings with four hits allowed, no walks and eight strikeouts to pick up the victory in the eventual 1-0 win. The 26-year-old southpaw was on his game on Tuesday and will now hope to pitch again versus the Yankees at some point next week. The former 30th overall pick of the Texas Rangers in 2016 was a first-time All-Star in 2024 and went 11-9 during 32 regular-season starts (186 1/3 innings) with a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a career-high 223 strikeouts as KC's ace.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (calf, hamstring) is penciled in to make his next scheduled start this Saturday against the Houston Astros. Ragans was pulled slightly early from his last start on Monday against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians due to cramps in his left calf and hamstring. Manager Matt Quatraro downplayed the injury after the game, though, and the Royals were never really expecting the 26-year-old southpaw to miss his next turn through the rotation this weekend. While the matchup against the first-place Astros isn't the greatest by any means, Ragans has been a pretty reliable fantasy starter in 2024, going 10-8 with a 3.28 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 187 K's in 156 1/3 frames over his 27 starts. His lone start against the 'Stros came back on April 9, when he gave up three earned runs on 10 hits while walking one and fanning five in five innings in a no-decision.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (calf, hamstring) was pulled early from Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field with a left-calf/hamstring cramp. Ragans was pulled in the fifth inning after giving up a walk to open the frame. The 26-year-old southpaw went four innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits while walking four and striking out four. He didn't make it long enough to qualify for a victory in the team's 4-3 win. Although we don't know for sure yet, it doesn't seem like Ragans' injury is serious enough to keep him from making his next start for the Royals. His poor command in this one could have been attributed his calf/hamstring injury. Ragans has been a solid fantasy starter in all formats in 2024, as he came into Monday's game 10-8 with a 3.31 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 183 K's in 152 1/3 innings over his 26 starts.UPDATE: Manager Matt Quatraro said Ragans is "fine" after he cramped up. The Royals were about to pull him from the game anyway, and there are no concerns health-wise about Ragans.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans logged a quality start in Wednesday's victory over the hosting division-rival Minnesota Twins at Target Field, striking out eight batters in the win. Ragans tossed seven innings of one-run ball on Wednesday against the Twins, allowing five hits and no walks en route to his 10th win of the year for the Royals. On the season as a whole, the 26-year-old All-Star left-hander owns a 3.18 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 174 punchouts and 47 walks over 25 starts (147 1/3 innings) in KC's rotation.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans picked up the win in Wednesday's 8-4 victory over the Red Sox. The southpaw went six-and-a-third innings, allowing four runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out seven. The 26-year-old is now 9-7 on the year with a 3.27 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 166 strikeouts (third-most) in 140 1/3 innings pitched. He'll get the Twins on the road in his next turn through the rotation, a team he's faced twice already this season. Over those two outings he's thrown 11 innings, allowing a total of four earned runs on 13 hits and four walks while striking out 16 batters.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans was outstanding in Friday night's victory over the hosting Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, fanning seven batters over seven innings of work in his start. Ragans allowed just one run on four hits and a walk on Friday against Boston, coming away with his sixth win of the season. The 26-year-old former first-round pick has proven to be the key coup to last season's Aroldis Chapman trade for the Royals, delivering an excellent 3.16 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with 141 strikeouts and 28 walks across 20 starts (116 2/3 frames) in KC's impressive rotation this year. We'll see him next in Tuesday's All-Star Game in Arlington.

Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (5-5) struck out 11 in just six innings during Monday's 4-1 win over the Miami Marlins. Ragans recorded his 12th quality start, allowing one earned run on four hits and three walks as he improved his record to (5-5). He is third behind Tyler Glasnow of the Los Angeles Dodgers (135) and Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox (130) with 120 strikeouts over 98 innings. The Royals ace has been an anchor for fantasy managers this season. The 26-year-old owns a 3.05 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, with just 33 walks and six home runs allowed in 2024. Ragans will continue his run making batters swing and miss on Saturday when he faces the American League Central-leading Cleveland Guardians.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans went six innings in Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the Athletics, allowing two earned runs on four hits and four walks while striking out seven. It was Ragans' fourth straight quality start and seventh consecutive start in which he allowed three earned runs or fewer. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, the good pitching hasn't translated to wins, as the southpaw hasn't recorded a victory since May 22. Still, the 26-year-old has a strong 3.13 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and the third-most strikeouts in all of baseball with 109 over 92 innings pitched. Ragans will get a favorable matchup in his next start, which lines up with the Miami Marlins at home next Monday.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans dominated the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, striking out nine over six innings of one-run ball in a 6-5 extra-innings loss. Ragans did all he could to get a win in this one, allowing just three hits and a walk, but the bullpen let him down. Outside of a couple blow-up starts, the 2023 breakout has lived up to expectations and then some this season. He now owns a 3.08 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 98 strikeouts in 79 IP. He should be treated as a fantasy ace at this point.