The Kansas City Royals (74-73) need to erase a five-game deficit and leap over three teams with just 15 games remaining in the regular season, otherwise they will be spending the playoffs at home. This team made headway in the American League Wild Card standings, but a 4-6 start to September has seen it lose ground once again. The odds of KC quickly turning it on versus the Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays are hard to fathom, hence it may be risky to rush back Cole Ragans.
The left-handed starting pitcher has missed the last three-plus months with a rotator cuff strain, but he is apparently nearing a return to the MLB roster. Ragans is making his second rehab start with the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers on Friday night and is scheduled to throw roughly 60 pitches, per MLB.com's Anne Rogers.
Assuming the 2024 All-Star makes it through the outing incident-free, which is obviously no guarantee given the amount of misfortune he has endured in 2025, then he could be back in a Royals uniform imminently.
“If everything goes well, we hope that this is the last one,” manager Matt Quatraro said, per Rogers. Fans have been anxiously waiting for Ragans to rejoin the ballclub, but considering Kansas City's current circumstances, there are plenty who will argue that it is more prudent to just start fresh next year. Based on how the skipper is talking, however, it sounds like the 27-year-old intends to pitch in a big-league game before season's end.
What should the Royals do?
Cole Ragans has spent most of the campaign on the shelf and has struggled when healthy, so obviously he would like to go into 2026 on a positive note. But the Royals have much to mull over. If they do not think a playoff berth is a realistic goal at this point of the season, they may deem it in their best interest to shut down the southpaw for the remainder of the year. Therefore, these next several days are crucial.
KC must hold its own on the road versus the Phillies, an arduous feat that has swallowed many teams in 2025, and then it has to overpower the Mariners in Kauffman Stadium. If star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and company are within three games of the final Wild Card slot, then management may want to roll the dice and send Ragans to the mound. That is the ideal scenario.
This is not an ideal world, however. The Royals trail Philly 6-1 in the sixth inning at time of print. The next three teams currently ahead of them in the Wild Card race all have leads in their respective games at time of print.
If Ragans does get cleared for an MLB return, he will have an opportunity to improve upon the 5.18 ERA he posted through 48 2/3 innings of work.
