Apr 24, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans (55) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images / Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Royals got a win on Thursday, but something far more concerning unfolded early in the afternoon.

Royals ace Cole Ragans lasted only three innings against the lowly Colorado Rockies, and those three innings went uncharacteristically poorly. Ragans surrendered four earned runs on three hits, two of which were home runs, and threw 62 pitches, only 34 of which were strikes.

Then, Ragans left the game, which left many quickly speculating if there was some sort of injury to be concerned about. As it turns out, there was.

The Royals announced on X (formerly Twitter) that Ragans had exited the game due to groin tightness. Angel Zerpa earned the win in relief, as Kansas City’s bullpen threw six scoreless innings in game one of the day-night doubleheader.

Ragans was off to a strong start to the season, but his last two starts have now been clunkers. He allowed five earned runs over four innings against the Detroit Tigers on Friday, and Thursday’s outing inflated his season ERA to 4.40 in 30 2/3 innings.

A first-time All-Star in 2024, Ragans had high expectations coming into the new year. He got a three-year, $13.25 million arbitration extension before the season, and looked to not only be a candidate for another All-Star nod, but perhaps an American League Cy Young Award.

Though it’s still too early to put those goals on pause, this injury will assuredly be something to monitor. Losing their ace for any amount of time would be a tough blow for the Royals do absorb.

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