After a horrendous 7-16 start to the 2026 season, the Royals have found their stride, winning 10 of their last 15 games. They currently stand 2.5 games out of first place in the highly contested AL Central Division, and one game off from a Wild Card spot. While early May is much too early to worry about playoff seeding, it’s been a relief to see the boys in blue put together complete games consistently.
While the Royals' bats have been flying over this recent hot streak, at 5.7 runs per game, which would rank first in the entire league, the Royals’ pitchers have had a hard time limiting their opponents' success, giving up 4.6 runs per game. That ranks near the bottom of the league.Â
One of the bigger disappointments this season has been the dip that pitching ace Cole Ragans has fallen into. In eight starts this year, he’s given up his highest ERA (4.84) since 2023 and was well on pace to allow the most home runs (10) and batters walked (23) in his entire career.Â
However, in Ragans' last start on Wednesday, he got through just three innings before leaving with elbow and triceps soreness. After further testing, it was reported Ragans has VEO (Valgus Extension Overload), otherwise known as pitcher’s elbow. Manager Matt Quatraro says he's hopeful Ragans will be okay to perform on his next scheduled start on Tuesday, May 12. But seeing as how Ragans has performed this season, paired with potentially rushing back from injury, perhaps keeping him in the dugout for an extended amount of time to clear his head and heal up may be the best course of action for the Royals.
Cole Ragans and the Royals could both benefit from some time off
It’s clear Ragans has struggled this year to play well while fighting through some injuries. The worst thing the Royals could do is rush back the 2024 Cy Young nominee when there is so much season left. There is also a desperate need for everybody to be healthy come the playoffs, when many expect the Royals to make some noise.
While Quatraro may be down a starting pitcher, he can trust the likes of Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, and Kris Bubic to hold down the fort while Ragans recovers. That trio has been throwing well this year, with a season’s combined average of an impressive 1.18 WHIP, seven total wins, and 120 strikeouts.
With an important six-game stretch starting tonight against division opponents, the Detroit Tigers and then the Chicago White Sox, the red-hot Royals could jump to the top of the division standings within the next few days. It’ll take a shared effort by the whole pitching staff and the bullpen to keep each other afloat, and for the likes of Bobby Witt Jr. and the rest of the Royals hitters to continue swinging for the fences.
Add us as a preferred source on Google