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The Kansas City Royals (34-34) have kind of sneaked up on everybody this season, but not in the way that they intended. Following a promising campaign that saw the franchise increase its win total by 30 and clinch a playoff berth for the first time in nine years, KC sits in fourth place in the American League Central. A stellar pitching staff is keeping the ballclub afloat, but baling out a lopsided lineup will be hard to do in the long run in light of the latest development.
All-Star left-hander Cole Ragans, who landed on the injured list Wednesday because of a rotator cuff strain, is being shut down from throwing “for a while,” via MLB.com's Anne Rogers. The glum prognosis, which was conveyed by manager Matt Quatraro, compounds what has been an unpleasant June thus far.
Ragans returned to the mound last Thursday after missing three weeks with a left groin strain, so his swift return to the IL is obviously harsh news to endure. The 27-year-old finished fourth in American League Cy Young voting last season but has a 5.18 ERA through 10 starts in 2025. The Royals have more than survived his struggles, with Kris Bubic anchoring a staff that is currently tied with the San Diego Padres for the fifth-best ERA in MLB.
Even so, maintaining such form without a talented strikeout machine like Ragans (76 Ks in 48 2/3 innings) figures to be quite difficult. Kansas City's campaign continues to take a downward turn.
Royals have yet to build on a successful 2024
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Following last year's playoffs defeat to the New York Yankees, MVP runner-up Bobby Witt Jr. touched on the promising future that lied ahead for the franchise. “It's not ‘how we're going to get there,' it's ‘how far we're going to go,'” he told reporters. Fast forward to now, and KC is hoping to avoid getting swept by the Yankees and falling below .500 for the first time since late April. This is not how things are supposed to go. Or are they?
Royals general manager J.J. Picollo rightly earned praise for the job he did in upgrading the roster in the 2023 offseason, and the results showed up in the standings. This past winter, he wisely fortified the bullpen by signing closer Carlos Estevez to a two-year, $22 million contract — a move that is working out magnificently to this point — but the exec did not add the requisite offensive firepower.
Former Rookie of the Year Jonathan India, the team's most notable position player acquisition, is batting a modest .252 with three home runs and a .342 slugging percentage. KC as a whole ranks dead last in MLB with 46 long balls and is 25th in both OPS and slugging. Hitting was a question mark entering the offseason, and although Witt and breakout utility man Maikel Garcia are impressing through the first 68 games, offense is simply too scarce.
A huge burden is on the starting rotation's shoulders to keep the Royals in the hunt for an AL Wild Card slot. Cole Ragans' recent injury setback only increases that load.
