Royals Place Cole Ragans On IL With Elbow Impingement
The Royals announced that left-hander Cole Ragans has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 7th, due to a left elbow impingement. They also optioned righty Eric Cerantola. In corresponding moves, they have recalled right-handers Stephen Kolek and Steven Cruz.
Ragans started for Kansas City on Wednesday and departed after throwing 58 pitches over three innings. After the game, he said that he felt soreness and tightness in the bottom of his triceps and elbow. He has twice undergone Tommy John surgery but said this felt different. Manager Matt Quatraro said that removing Ragans from the game was precautionary and that he could even make his next start.
Last night, Quatraro provided more info, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com. The skipper said that Ragans had been diagnosed with valgus extension overload and that the next steps would be determined by how Ragans felt in the coming days. Less than 24 hours later, it seems the Royals have decided to put Ragans on the shelf for at least a couple of weeks.
Ragans is capable of ace-type results, as he showed in 2024 when he posted a 3.14 earned run average over 32 starts. He hasn’t been quite at that level since then, with injuries seemingly playing a notable role. He only made 13 starts last year, with a 4.67 ERA, missing time due to a groin strain and a rotator cuff strain. He has a 4.84 ERA this year. Perhaps a reset can help him get back on track.
There’s never a good time for a pitcher as talented as Ragans to hit a setback but the timing in this instance works out relatively well. The Royals recently lost Ryan Bergert and Ben Kudrna to season-ending surgeries, subtracting a couple of depth options. Kolek has also been on the IL for most of this year due to an oblique strain but was able to begin a rehab assignment a few weeks ago.
He came off the IL this week and made one start, filling in while Noah Cameron was experiencing some back tightness. Kolek tossed six solid innings and got the W but was promptly optioned to the minors, as the Royals only needed him for a spot start. This injury to Ragans has forced them to quickly reverse course. Normally, a pitcher optioned to the minors has to stay down for 15 days, but an exception is made when someone else goes on the IL.
Presumably, Kolek will step into the rotation spot vacated by Ragans, alongside Cameron, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Kris Bubic. Kolek, acquired from the Padres last year, has a 4.03 ERA in 165 1/3 career innings. He worked as a reliever in 2024 but was stretched out last year to good results, putting up a 3.51 ERA. His 16.7% strikeout rate was subpar but his 6.7% walk rate and 51.4% ground ball rate were both good figures.
He has a six-pitch mix featuring a four-seamer, sinker, slider, cutter, changeup and sweeper. He had a fairly balanced attack last year, using all of those pitches between 26% and 6% of the time. Statcast also classified one pitch as a curveball. He made four starts on his rehab assignment just now, with a 2.76 ERA in those.
While Ragans is out and Kolek is up, the depth is a bit thinner than it was not too long ago. As mentioned, Bergert and Kudrna are both out for the year. Luinder Avila is currently in a long relief role in the bullpen. Mason Black and Mitch Spence are on the 40-man roster but currently on optional assignment in Triple-A.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
Royals Notes: Ragans, Rotation, Estévez
The Royals got a bit of injury scare yesterday with Cole Ragans departing his start. He’ll continue to be evaluated but the Royals appear to be hopeful that the move was precautionary and that Ragans won’t need to go on the injured list.
Ragans threw 58 pitches over three innings before departing last night. After the game, he told Anne Rogers of MLB.com that he felt soreness and tightness in the bottom of his triceps and elbow. That sounds a bit ominous, especially for a guy with two prior Tommy John surgeries, but Ragans feels this is different. “I’ve been through the elbow stuff,” he said. “I know it’s not what I’ve been through before.” Manager Matt Quatraro told broadcaster Joel Goldberg that he was being cautious with the removal and that he’s hopeful Ragans can make his next start.
The southpaw isn’t out to his best start, with a 4.84 earned run average and 15.2% walk rate so far this year. Regardless, the Royals don’t want to lose him, knowing what he’s capable of. In 2024, he finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting after posting a 3.14 ERA over 32 starts.
If Ragans does ultimately end up on the IL, the Royals are in a decent spot to cover for him, with Stephen Kolek currently on the outside of the rotation looking in. Kolek started the year on the IL himself due to an oblique strain. He came off the IL a couple of days ago and made a spot start when Noah Cameron was experiencing some back tightness. Kolek had a strong start, getting the win against the Guardians after throwing six innings of three-run ball. But since Cameron is expected to make his next start, Kolek was optioned to Triple-A.
A pitcher who is optioned normally has to wait 15 days before being recalled but an exception is made when someone is placed on the IL. If Ragans or Cameron were put on the shelf, Kolek could be promptly recalled.
Kolek has a 4.03 career ERA and just posted a 2.76 ERA on his rehab assignment before that spot start. He would be in the rotation for a lot of teams but is currently blocked by Ragans, Cameron, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha and Kris Bubic. Other depth options on the roster including Mason Black and Mitch Spence but the Royals recently lost Ryan Bergert and Ben Kudrna to season-ending surgeries.
There’s also a notable injury situation to watch relating to the Kansas City bullpen. Reliever Carlos Estévez exited a rehab game yesterday due to shoulder discomfort. That’s a bit of a worrisome development since that’s a new injury. He landed on the IL a little over a month ago due to a left foot contusion suffered when he was hit by a comebacker.
Even before getting hit by that comebacker, his velocity was down and his early-season results were poor. His fastball averaged around 97 miles per hour for most of his career. He was closer to 96 last year. He was below 90 mph in spring training and posted a 7.20 ERA. In his lone regular season outing, he was at 91 mph and allowed six earned runs in a third of an inning.
Perhaps this shoulder discomfort provides an explanation for the diminished stuff but time will tell what sort of remedy will be required. With Estévez out, Lucas Erceg has been the closer. He has racked up ten saves but not in smooth fashion, having walked 17.7% of batters faced. Among pitchers with at least 15 innings pitched this year, only Connor Phillips of the Reds has a higher walk rate than that. Ideally, Estévez would come back and bump Erceg back to a setup role but it doesn’t seem like that will happen anytime soon.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
Royals Continuing To Explore Outfield Market
The Royals entered the offseason in pursuit of two outfielders — ideally adding one apiece via free agency and trade. They accomplished that last week, signing Lane Thomas to a $5.25MM deal and bringing in Isaac Collins in a trade with Milwaukee.
Collins played mostly left field for the Brewers. He’s loosely penciled in there for now, while Thomas provides a right-handed hitting complement to Kyle Isbel and Jac Caglianone in center and right field, respectively. It’s better than it was at season’s end but still not a great group on paper. Thomas is coming off an injury-riddled season. Caglianone struggled mightily in his first 62 MLB games and could benefit from more time at Triple-A. Isbel is a glove-only center fielder, while Collins’ breakout season came as a 27-year-old rookie.
Unsurprisingly, the Royals haven’t closed the door on the possibility of adding another outfielder. Collins has plenty of minor league infield experience — mostly at second with a handful of starts at third base as well. President of baseball operations J.J. Picollo indicated that while the Royals expect him to play mostly outfield, he has enough defensive versatility for the front office to keep their options open (link via Anne Rogers of MLB.com).
The switch-hitting Collins has a very patient approach. Kansas City ranked 22nd in on-base percentage (.309), and only the Rockies had a lower walk rate than their 7.2% clip. Collins provides a different skillet and generally raises the lineup’s floor, but his limited power means he doesn’t have a huge ceiling as an everyday left fielder. The Royals aren’t going to be in the market for a star outfielder in free agency, yet they’re kicking the tires on a more impactful trade possibility.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic writes that the Royals could still be a factor for Jarren Duran. Rosenthal suggests that Kansas City has balked at putting star southpaw Cole Ragans in a Duran trade. Whether the Red Sox would insist on Ragans’ inclusion isn’t known, as The Athletic report indicates that Boston executives view the teams’ talks to date as preliminary.
That said, it’s clear the Red Sox are putting a lofty price on their top outfielders. Tim Healey of The Boston Globe writes that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is telling interested teams that the Sox don’t feel any pressure to trade an outfielder. They’ve taken calls on Duran and Wilyer Abreu at least dating back to the summer. Between Abreu, Duran and Roman Anthony, they have three above-average to star caliber left-handed hitting outfielders. (Anthony signed an eight-year extension in August and certainly isn’t getting traded.) Ceddanne Rafaela hits from the right side and has the ability to play the infield, but much of his value comes from his elite center field defense.
Keeping all four players limits the Sox’s flexibility a bit. They can find at-bats for them all by rotating them through the designated hitter role and getting Rafaela occasional infield work. Boston has considered swapping one of Duran or Abreu for controllable starting pitching, though they’re less motivated to do so after acquiring Sonny Gray.
The Royals have been on the opposite end. Picollo said a few weeks ago that they were open to trading a starter for outfield help. He essentially took Ragans out of that mix, though. The 28-year-old lefty finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting two seasons ago. He missed a good chunk of ’25 battling a rotator cuff strain. He’s signed for a combined $12MM over the next two years and will be eligible for arbitration in 2028. He’s a potential ace whom the Royals control for three seasons at what’d likely be no more than $25MM in total.
“We’re in a really good spot (with rotation depth), so if the right trade comes along, and it costs us a starting pitcher, we have to look at it,” Picollo told Rogers at the Winter Meetings. “It’s just not going to be Cole. … We have to ask ourselves: Is this his max value right now? Probably not. If Cole pitches like he did in ‘24, who knows what his value is going to be? We just think right now, three years of control on a really good starting pitcher, it would have to be something crazy, something that’s like, ‘How can we pass this up?'”
Kansas City has gotten hits on controllable arms like Noah Cameron, Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek. Lefty Kris Bubic might be their likeliest rotation trade candidate, but he suffered a season-ending rotator cuff injury in July and is headed into his final arbitration year. No one from that group is valuable enough to headline a trade for Duran, who is coming off his third straight well above-average season. Duran is set for a $7.7MM salary and is under arbitration control through 2028.
Even if the sides can’t line up value on Duran, the Royals will evaluate other outfield possibilities. They’re also known to be searching for left-handed relief. That was more of a luxury buy around the Winter Meetings but takes on added importance after they traded Angel Zerpa to the Brewers for Collins and righty reliever Nick Mears.
Kansas City is down to Daniel Lynch IV and swingman Bailey Falter as lefty relievers on the 40-man roster. Lynch managed a 3.06 earned run average over 67 2/3 innings but did so with a well below-average 15.6% strikeout rate. There are a few one-year deal candidates available in free agency (e.g. Drew Pomeranz, Caleb Thielbar, Caleb Ferguson, Danny Coulombe). They could also explore the trade market, with St. Louis’ JoJo Romero known to be available as he enters his final year of arbitration.
Royals Have Received Interest In Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek
Royals president of baseball operations J.J. Picollo is on record about the club’s willingness to trade from their rotation for outfield help. Most of the focus has been on left-hander Kris Bubic, who is down to his final season of arbitration. Even if Bubic remains the likeliest candidate, K.C. has predictably gotten hits on their controllable arms as well.
Anne Rogers of MLB.com writes that the Royals have gotten calls on each of Noah Cameron, Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek. (The Cardinals are among the teams known to like Cameron, who is coming off a 2.99 ERA across 24 starts as a rookie.) Bergert and Kolek are less established but also have extended windows of club control. Bergert has yet to reach a full service year and is under control for six seasons; Kolek has a little over one year of service, so he’s controllable for five years.
The two right-handers landed in Kansas City over the summer in the same deadline trade. The Royals picked up both arms in a trade sending backup catcher Freddy Fermin to the Padres. It was a nice bit of business for Picollo and his staff. Bergert combined for a 3.66 earned run average with a solid 22.6% strikeout rate over his first 19 MLB appearances. He sits in the 93-94 MPH range and has an above-average slider. If he can develop a better changeup or add a cutter against left-handed hitters, he could be a mid-rotation arm.
Kolek is a former Rule 5 selection who moved back to the rotation after spending his rookie year working out of San Diego’s bullpen. He’s also in the 93-94 MPH range with his fastball and uses six pitches with regularity. Kolek’s stuff has never played for many whiffs, but he got ground-balls at a strong 51.4% clip over 19 starts this year. He tallied 112 2/3 innings of 3.51 ERA ball, and while that’s better than his peripherals suggest, he looks like a fine fourth/fifth starter.
As it stands, neither Bergert nor Kolek project as one of the top five starters on the depth chart. Cole Ragans, Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, Bubic and Cameron would be the front five if everyone’s healthy. Bergert and Kolek have minor league options, so they could begin the season in Triple-A. Bailey Falter is out of options and probably ticketed for long relief if he sticks on the roster all offseason.
The Royals are unlikely to trade Wacha or Lugo, each of whom recently signed significant extensions. They’ll probably hear teams out on Cameron, but the asking price would be significant even if his middling 20.5% strikeout rate suggests he’s unlikely to turn in another sub-3.00 season. The only pitcher whom the team is all but firmly taking off the table is Ragans.
“We’re in a really good spot, so if the right trade comes along, and it costs us a starting pitcher, we have to look at it. It’s just not going to be Cole,” Picollo told Rogers. He subsequently left the door ever so slightly open with the caveat that another team could offer “something crazy,” but he pointed out that they’d be selling low on an ace-caliber pitcher who missed a good chunk of the season with a rotator cuff strain.
“We have to ask ourselves: Is this his max value right now? Probably not,” Picollo said. “If Cole pitches like he did in ‘24, who knows what his value is going to be? We just think right now, three years of control on a really good starting pitcher, it would have to be something crazy, something that’s like, ‘How can we pass this up?'”
The focus for Kansas City remains acquiring multiple outfielders, one apiece in trade and free agency. Rogers writes that they’re specifically after a right-handed hitter who can play center field. Harrison Bader is the top free agent center fielder, while Jake Meyers fits that bill on the trade front. The Royals have unsurprisingly been linked to both players this week. Speculatively speaking, Colorado’s Brenton Doyle is another possibility — though he’s coming off a terrible offensive season and might be too redundant to another glove-only player in Kyle Isbel. High-end talents Byron Buxton and Luis Robert Jr. are unlikely to move at all this offseason, and that’s before getting into the difficulty of lining up a trade within the division.
In free agency, Rogers lists JJ Bleday, Adolis García and Lane Thomas as players whom the front office has considered. All three are reclamation targets, and none should be an everyday option in center field. García is a full-time corner outfielder. Bleday and Thomas have played up the middle but fit better in right field, especially in a spacious outfield. García will be the most expensive of that trio but they’re all likely to take one-year deals.
While the outfield is still the priority, Picollo called adding a reliever a “secondary” goal. Bringing in another lefty to join Angel Zerpa and Daniel Lynch IV would be preferable. It’s a rough class for free agent lefty relievers, but the Royals are facing budgetary constrains and weren’t likely to spend big on that either way. Danny Coulombe, Hoby Milner, Caleb Ferguson, Caleb Thielbar and Drew Pomeranz are among the available free agents. The Cardinals’ JoJo Romero is the most obvious bullpen trade candidate of the winter. Tanner Banks, Keegan Akin and Brandon Eisert are a few other players who could be available for a modest trade return.
Royals President Expresses Openness To Trading Starter For Outfielder
The Royals have been looking for outfield upgrades for years. This winter, they seem to have a tight budget but a strong rotation, which has led to speculation about them trading a starting pitcher for an outfielder. “Our starting pitching, we have some depth there,” Royals president of baseball operations J.J. Picollo tells Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. “A lot of teams are looking for starting pitching, so if we have what they may be interested in, and they have an outfielder that would be of interest, then there’s potentially the opportunity to make a deal.” Speier notes that the Royals had interest in Jarren Duran of the Red Sox prior to the trade deadline.
As mentioned, it’s been a long time since the Royals got strong production from the grass. Last winter, they were connected to free agents such as Anthony Santander and Jurickson Profar but fell short in those pursuits. Kansas City outfielders produced a collective line of .225/.285/.348 in 2025. That resulted in a 73 wRC+, indicating they were 27% below league average, the worst group in the majors.
It was reported last month that the club is looking for outfield help on the trade market. That makes sense for a number of reasons. For one, there’s the payroll. Back in October, owner John Sherman suggested the club would likely have a similar payroll in 2026 as they did in 2025. RosterResource currently projects the club to spend $139MM on the 2026 squad, which is already above the $138MM they spent by the end of 2025.
Also, the free agent outfield market has a big gap. At the top, there are guys like Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger, who will be out of the Royals’ price range. Then there’s a big drop to the tier featuring guys like Mike Yastrzemski and Harrison Bader. The Royals just acquired Yastrzemski at the deadline and he played well for them. Presumably, they would have interest in bringing him back but he might get an eight-figure deal and is now 35 years old, so it would make sense if they considered cheaper and/or younger options.
Put it all together and trading from the rotation seems like a decent possibility, something that MLBTR’s Nick Deeds explored a few weeks back. The Royals currently have Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, Cole Ragans, Kris Bubic, Noah Cameron, Bailey Falter, Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek, Luinder Avila and Ben Kudrna for five rotation spots. A trade of Wacha or Lugo feels unlikely because they both signed extensions with the Royals in the past 13 months. Bubic has reportedly drawn some trade interest but he might not be able to bring back a massive return. He is down to one year of club control and missed the final few months of 2025 due to a rotator cuff strain.
That perhaps points to Ragans as the most logical candidate, but there are issues there as well. It would be a sell-low move for the Royals. He finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting in 2024 by putting up a 3.14 earned run average over 186 1/3 innings. But in 2025, he spent a decent amount of time on the injured list due to groin and rotator cuff injuries. He only made 13 starts with his ERA jumping to 4.67.
He is still controllable for another three years. He is already signed for $4.5MM in 2026 and $7.5MM in 2027. He would then be controllable for the 2028 campaign via arbitration. Despite his rough 2025, the Royals would surely put a massive asking price on him, considering his talent, affordability and controllability. “I wouldn’t say off limits,” Picollo said, when asked if any of his pitchers are untouchable. “There would have to be a really big return for one [starter] in particular.” That statement seems likely to be in reference to Ragans.
The Royals could perhaps try to trade one of the group including Cameron, Bergert, Kolek, Avila and Kudrna but no one in that group has shown the tremendous ceiling of Ragans. Though those players are still in their pre-arb years, a team looking for a surefire rotation upgrade wouldn’t have as much interest as they would in Ragans.
For the Red Sox, they are a logical trade partner for the Royals. They have been looking for rotation upgrades and have too many outfielders. Currently, their outfield mix consists of Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu and Masataka Yoshida, with prospect Jhostynxon García waiting in the wings.
Trade rumors around this group have been around for quite a while. Anthony and Rafaela have been signed to extensions and seem very unlikely to be available. The Sox would probably love to move Yoshida but his contract and poor performance give him negative trade value. Wilyer and Abreu feel a bit redundant, so it’s those two who often appear in rumors most often. Both are strong defenders who hit left-handed and have notable platoon splits.
Abreu still has four years of club control remaining whereas Duran as three. Duran also qualified for arbitration a year early as a Super Two player, meaning he gets four arb passes instead of just three. While Abreu is still a year away from arbitration, Duran made $3.85MM in 2025 and will get a bump to $7.75MM plus performance bonuses in 2026. The Sox don’t seem to have a ton of powder dry for the rest of the offseason, so perhaps they would lean towards trading Duran. He could perhaps bring back a notable return on the pitching front while also saving the Sox some money.
Duran has slashed .271/.337/.468 since the start of 2024 for a 121 wRC+. He has also stolen 58 bases and received strong grades for his outfield defense. FanGraphs credited with 10.8 wins above replacement over that two-year span.
That kind of production would certainly look good in the Kansas City outfield. Currently, there’s not a lot locked in. Jac Caglianone will probably get another chance, even though he performed poorly in his 2025 debut. Kyle Isbel projects as the favorite in center, mostly on account of his glove. Duran has lots of center field experience but the Sox have been using him in left recently, largely in deference to Rafaela. Guys like Drew Waters, Kameron Misner, John Rave and Dairon Blanco are on the roster but would ideally be pushed down the depth chart.
The Sox already made one notable addition to their rotation by acquiring Sonny Gray from the Cardinals. He’ll slot in alongside Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello as locks for the front of the Boston rotation. That leaves two spots available for guys like Kutter Crawford, Patrick Sandoval, Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, Kyle Harrison and others. Crawford and Sandoval are big wild cards after spending 2025 on the IL, while the others are young guys still looking to get fully established in the big leagues.
Reportedly, the Sox are focused on the lineup after the Gray trade but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be interested in further bolstering the rotation if they get a chance. Perhaps the Royals and Red Sox can line something up but there are many other possible paths. If Ragans is available, then the Royals will presumably discuss him with dozens of other clubs and not just the Red Sox. Boston, meanwhile, would surely get plenty of calls if they were willing to deal Duran.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images
Kris Bubic Drawing Trade Interest From Multiple Clubs
Royals left-hander Kris Bubic is drawing interest from multiple unspecified clubs, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. Perhaps just as importantly, Sammon also notes that the Royals are open to the possibility of moving the southpaw.
Bubic, 28, didn’t find much success in his first few major league seasons. Early in 2023, he added a slider and seemed to be on the cusp of a breakout, but that lasted just three starts before he required Tommy John surgery.
He missed the remainder of that campaign and worked out of the bullpen when he returned in 2024, but with great success. He gave the Royals 30 1/3 innings with a 2.67 earned run average. His 32.2% strikeout rate, 4.1% walk rate and 56.2% ground ball rate were all excellent figures. He posted a 1.93 ERA over four postseason appearances as well.
The Royals stretched him back out in 2025. He wasn’t quite as dominant as he was as a reliever in 2024, but his results were still quite good. He logged 116 1/3 innings over 20 starts with a 2.55 ERA, 24.4% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate and 47.2% ground ball rate. A rotator cuff strain put him on the injured list at the end of July and he missed the final two months of the season. At the time of that injury, it was reported that he would not require surgery and would have a normal offseason. According to the MLB.com injury tracker, he was recently cleared to resume throwing.
Thanks to the slow start to his career and injury absences, his track record of success isn’t massive, but he has shown very intriguing flashes of upside. His winding journey also means that he is now just a year away from free agency and projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $6MM salary. That’s quite modest by modern pitching standards, especially compared to what the top free agents are likely to get this winter. For instance, the top pitcher on MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents list was Dylan Cease. He was projected for $189MM over seven years, or $27MM annually.
The Royals are looking to bolster their offense, particularly in the outfield and at second base. However, they probably don’t have a lot of financial wiggle room. They aren’t usually huge spenders and owner John Sherman recently stated that the payroll would probably stay fairly flat compared to 2025. RosterResource currently projects them for a $142MM payroll in 2026, a tad higher than the $138MM they had at the end of 2025.
Trading some pitching is probably the club’s best path for adding offense. Their projected rotation currently includes Bubic, Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Noah Cameron, Stephen Kolek, Ryan Bergert, Luinder Avila, Ben Kudrna and others. Sammon reports Ragans is not likely to be available. That’s not surprising since he’s controlled for another three seasons. Even if the Royals were motivated to move him, now wouldn’t be a good time since he’s coming off a poor and injury-marred season. Wacha and Lugo have recently inked extensions, with each signed through 2027 with club options for 2028.
That leaves the most likely trade candidates as Bubic or one of the younger and more controllable arms. The Royals may consider moving one of the other guys but they are cheap and have options, making them valuable pieces for a club without huge payroll capacity. Bubic’s value will be somewhat capped by the fact that he only has the one year of control and some spotty health on his track record. However, the salary is attractive for other clubs and could allow the Royals to save a bit of cash to use on other pursuits.
As Sammon points out, another thing working in the club’s favor is that a lot of other pitchers with upside are seemingly unavailable. Recent reports have downplayed the trade possibilities on guys like Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, Hunter Greene, Freddy Peralta, Joe Ryan and Pablo López. It’s probably still fair to expect guys like MacKenzie Gore, Sonny Gray and others to be out there but every name that comes off the board gives the Royals a bit more leverage.
Since Bubic is only controlled for one more season, he should only draw interest from clubs planning to contend in 2026. That may make it a challenge for the Royals to line up a deal, as those clubs probably don’t want to meaningfully subtract from their big league rosters. It’s not impossible, however, as clubs like the Angels and Red Sox have designs on contending, have a need for pitching but also have too many corner outfielders.
If the Royals can’t line up a classic “baseball trade” in that fashion, they could always flip Bubic for prospects. That could increase their ability to trade prospects for an impact bat or two, either by moving the prospects they just acquired or guys they already had who have become more expendable by the new arrivals.
Presumably, the Royals are currently evaluating all sorts of scenarios. As mentioned, they could move a cheaper and more controllable arm such as Cameron, Bergert, Kolek or others in that camp, but Bubic is an intriguing upside play for contending clubs. There’s risk with the recent injuries but Bubic is far cheaper than the options available in free agency and doesn’t require a long-term commitment. It’s also possible that he ends up recouping a draft pick down the line, if he stays healthy and pitches well enough in 2026 to justify a qualifying offer at season’s end.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
Royals Activate Cole Ragans From 60-Day Injured List
Sept 17: The Royals have formally reinstated Ragans from the 60-day IL. Righty Luinder Avila was optioned to Triple-A Omaha to open a spot on the active roster. Ragans’ reinstatement brings Kansas City’s 40-man roster to capacity.
Sept. 16: The Royals will reinstate left-hander Cole Ragans from the 60-day injured list tomorrow, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com. Kansas City already has an open 40-man roster spot, so unless there are other 40-man moves coming in conjunction with Ragans’ return, they’ll only need to clear a spot on the active roster.
Ragans, 28 this offseason, has been out more than three months due to a strained rotator cuff in his left shoulder. His absence has been a major reason for Kansas City’s slide in the standings and the team’s all but certain elimination from playoff contention, although Ragans certainly hasn’t been the only rotation member to run into health woes this year.
Kris Bubic‘s own rotator cuff strain ended his season in late July. Seth Lugo has had IL stints due to both finger and lower back injuries. Michael Lorenzen missed more than a month with an oblique strain. Michael Wacha has been on the concussion list for the past week but is expected to return for tonight’s game. Alec Marsh hasn’t pitched all season due to a shoulder impingement. It’s a far cry from the 2024 season, when the Royals improbably had four pitchers make at least 29 starts (and five make at least 25 starts).
Still, the loss of Ragans has arguably been the most damaging. The southpaw was sitting on an ugly 5.18 ERA in ten starts when healthy, although much of the damage against him came in his final three starts before landing on the IL with this shoulder issue. Ragans carried a 3.79 ERA into mid-May and reached double-digit strikeout figures in four of his first seven starts of the season. And, of course, the lefty’s 2024 breakout was one of the driving forces behind the Royals’ return to the postseason. Ragans pitched 186 1/3 innings with a 3.14 ERA, 29.3% strikeout rate and 8.8% walk rate across 32 starts last year, garnering an All-Star nod and fourth-place finish in Cy Young voting for his efforts.
At 75-75, the Royals haven’t been mathematically eliminated from the postseason just yet, but they’re 6.5 games out in the AL Wild Card chase with 12 games left to play. It’d take a borderline miracle for them to sneak into the field. Even with little to play for in terms of 2025 results, however, Ragans’ return gives him the chance to head into the offseason feeling that his shoulder troubles are behind him. If he looks sharp in two starts between now and season’s end, Kansas City would surely feel a bit better about its staff heading into next year. Ragans posted a 4.35 ERA and punched out 20 of the 43 hitters he faced (46.5%) across three minor league starts while rehabbing in recent weeks.
AL Central Notes: Ragans, Sewald, Olson, Brennan
Cole Ragans is set to begin a rehab assignment on Sunday, with a scheduled two-inning start planned with Triple-A Omaha. It has now been over three months since Ragans was sidelined by a rotator cuff strain, and if the southpaw is able to make it back to the Royals rotation before the season is over, it won’t be in a full-fledged starting role. “We know we don’t have the time to get him built up to five or six innings,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro told reporters (including Jaylon Thompson of the Kansas City Star), indicating that Ragans would still be a starter, but perhaps in a piggyback capacity or as the lead pitcher of a bullpen game.
Seth Lugo was just placed on the 15-day IL earlier this week due to a back strain, and Kris Bubic‘s season was ended by a rotator cuff strain in late July. Despite these and other injuries, the Royals’ pitching staff has still been the biggest factor in keeping the team afloat in the wild card race, as Kansas City’s offense has remained inconsistent. If the Royals can stick around in the playoff hunt until late September, getting Ragans back in even a limited capacity might be a huge boost in helping K.C. return to the postseason.
More from around the AL Central…
- Paul Sewald began a rehab assignment with the Tigers‘ high-A affiliate on Thursday. Sewald hasn’t pitched since July 11 when he was still a member of the Guardians, and his placement on Detroit’ 60-day IL means that he can’t be activated until September 10 at the absolute earliest. Though Sewald remains on the mend with a right shoulder strain, the Tigers felt comfortable enough in his ability to return this season that the righty was acquired from the Guards at the deadline. Shoulder problems have limited Sewald to only 15 1/3 innings this season, and he has a 4.42 ERA over his last 55 MLB frames with Cleveland and Arizona during the 2024-25 campaigns.
- Turning to another pitcher on the Tigers‘ 60-day injured list, Reese Olson has started a throwing progression as he works his way back from his own right shoulder strain. Ramping up throwing work now might give Olson a chance at making a playoff roster — he was placed directly on the 60-day IL on July 28, so he is only eligible to return for the last couple of games of Detroit’s regular-season schedule. Even the slightest setback would almost surely shut Olson down for 2025 entirely, and even if healthy, it remains to be seen if the Tigers would entrust a playoff roster spot to a pitcher coming off such a long layoff. Olson has pitched well as a starter over his three seasons in Motown, but would likely be used as a reliever in the playoffs since he doesn’t have enough time to fully rebuild his arm strength.
- Guardians outfielder Will Brennan underwent a sports hernia surgery to correct a lingering groin injury, according to MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins. Brennan’s 2025 season was already over due to a Tommy John surgery back in June, but even after the TJ procedure and his latest surgery, Brennan is expected to be ready for the start of Cleveland’s spring camp in February. The outfielder played in 252 games with the Guardians in a part-time capacity in 2023-24, but after starting 2025 in the minors and then getting injured, Brennan appeared in just six MLB contests this year.
AL Central Notes: Tigers, Ragans, Lee
Some of baseball’s top prospects have made their MLB debuts within the last week, but don’t expect any of the Tigers‘ top minor leaguers to be appearing in 2025. In an interview with MLB Network this past week (hat tip to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press), Tigers GM Jon Greenberg said a call-up of shortstop prospect Kevin McGonigle is likely not “on the radar right now,” and Greenberg also downplayed the possibility of Max Clark or Josue Briceno arriving in the majors.
“They’ve only been in Double-A for a month. It’s been fewer than 30 games,” the GM said. “Really excited with what Kevin has done, really excited with what Max has done, and some of the other guys in our system. But right now, the focus is on their development and getting the reps to continue to take those steps forward.”
MLB Pipeline and Baseball America each rank McGonigle as the second-best prospect in baseball, Clark ninth, and Briceno also in a prominent top-100 spot (Pipeline has him 32nd, BA 54th). As Greenberg noted, none of the group has much experience even at the Double-A level, though McGonigle and Clark have both been on fire at the plate since their call-up. While it seems like a further promotion to Triple-A could be possible before the 2025 season is through, any of these top prospects would very likely have to further excel in Toledo, and then the Tigers would have to feel confident enough to install any of these rookies right into the extra pressure of a postseason push. There isn’t much urgency for Detroit to make such an aggressive prospect promotion, as the Tigers have a 10.5-game division lead and look to be cruising towards the AL Central crown.
More from within the division…
- A rotator cuff strain sent Cole Ragans to the injured list in early June, but the Royals southpaw seems to be making good progress towards a late-season return. Manager Matt Quatraro told MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and other reporters that things went “really well” during a 30-pitch bullpen for Ragans on Thursday, which was Ragans’ fourth pen session. The next step is an “up-down” session today. Since Ragans will surely need at least couple of minor league rehab outings as the final stage of his recovery process, it would seem like the second week of September would be the absolute earliest Ragans might be able to return to the K.C. rotation. While a timeline is still very fluid, getting Ragans back would be a late boost to a Royals team that has won 14 of its last 22 games to surge back into the wild card race.
- The White Sox called catcher Korey Lee up from Triple-A yesterday, creating what is technically a bit of a logjam since Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero are already both on the active roster. However, manager Will Venable told reporters (including Vinnie Duber of the Chicago Sun-Times) that having a third catcher available gives the Sox the ability to have both Teel and Quero in the lineup at catcher and DH, without worrying that an injury would leave the team short-handed during a game. Naturally the White Sox want to see as much as they can from both Teel and Quero in their rookie seasons, as the former top prospects both appear to be key pieces of Chicago’s rebuild, even if there’s still a lingering question about who will eventually emerge as the regular catcher.
Royals Select Cam Devanney, Transfer Cole Ragans To 60-Day IL
The Royals announced today that they have selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Cam Devanney. In a corresponding active roster move, outfielder Mark Canha has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to left elbow epicondylitis. To open a 40-man spot, left-hander Cole Ragans was transferred to the 60-day IL.
Devanney was a 2019 Brewers draftee (15th round) who landed in the Royals organization by way of 2023’s Taylor Clarke trade. He’s posting career-best numbers in Triple-A this year, albeit as a 28-year-old who’s in his fourth season at that level.
Devanney has taken 288 turns at the plate and logged a .272/.366/.565 batting line with 18 homers, 14 doubles, a pair of triples, three steals (in four tries), an 11.8% walk rate and a 24.3% strikeout rate. He’s primarily played shortstop but also logged time at second base, at third base and in left field. The outfield work is largely new to him, but Devanney has 608 career innings at second and 806 career frames at third (plus more than 3100 innings as a shortstop).
This will be Devanney’s first action at the big league level. He’ll give the Royals some versatility and a right-handed bat to replace that of Canha, who’s posted a career-worst .212/.272/.265 slash in 125 plate appearances with Kansas City so far in 2025. Canha was sporting a league-average batting line into late May, but it’s fair to wonder how long his elbow has been bothering him, given that he’s recorded an anemic .104/.137/.188 line over his past 51 trips to the plate.
Ragans has already missed more than a month due to a rotator cuff strain and only recently resumed throwing. He’ll need to progress through multiple checkpoints — throwing off a mound, facing live hitters — before he commences a minor league rehab assignment that’ll likely span multiple starts. It was already known that he was likely to be out beyond the All-Star break.
The move to the 60-day injured list doesn’t reset Ragans’ IL clock but rather pushes back the earliest possible activation date. Given that only just starting to play catch after a four-week shutdown period, there wasn’t much chance he’d have been ready for activation before early-to-mid August anyhow. He can now be activated no earlier than Aug. 7.