Cole Ragans stared toward home plate with his usual stoic demeanor.
A slight pause ensued. The Kansas City Royals ace received the sign from his battery-mate. He lifted his leg to the sky and threw a high-velocity fastball on a horizontal line.
An audible whooshing sound followed. The baseball hit the catcher’s mitt. Ragans stood in acknowledgment.
Then he showcased his off-speed pitch. He hurled it toward teammate Bobby Witt Jr. — who was in the batter’s box — inducing a late swing-and-miss.
Witt was impressed. Ragans offered a slight nod to the onlooking members of the Royals’ pitching staff.
The All-Star lefty — who missed a significant time in 2025 — is back.
“I’m healthy and I feel good,” Ragans said. “I’ve got some things to work on, obviously, but going into the offseason with a clear conscience of being healthy is a big thing.”
Ragans dealt with a left-rotator cuff strain last season. He returned in September and gave the Royals three dominant starts.
That was an appetizer for what’s to come. This spring, Ragans is ready for the main course.
He was expected to pitch in his first Cactus League game on Saturday. He was slated to follow Seth Lugo in the pitching order against the Colorado Rockies in a game at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick (MLB Network, 2:10 p.m. Central Time).
“It’s nice to see what he has done so far,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro told reporters in Surprise, Arizona on Saturday. “He’s looked great and he’s been healthy. He’s been throwing the ball with confidence and his delivery has looked really good.”
Ragans is the unquestioned ace of the pitching staff. He is one of the top left-handed starters in the league alongside Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet and other aces. He could compete for American League Cy Young consideration this season.
The Royals know how special Ragans can be. He developed under KC pitching coach Brian Sweeney and has taken on a leadership role.
Ragans gives a lot of credit to his veteran teammates. He continues to learn from Lugo and Michael Wacha — and others — picking up insight about such details as how to prepare each day.
“You know, we all have the same end goal,” Ragans said. “We all want to be the last team standing. We want to have the parade. You know, win it all. So I think we hold each other accountable pretty well. But we have a really good time and a really good group of guys.”
The Royals haven’t held a World Series championship parade in over a decade. It’s on the mind of Ragans and every Royal in the clubhouse. Team captain Salvador Perez is the lone player remaining from the 2015 World Series championship team.
Ragans will be a critical part of the equation this season as the Royals seek a return to the postseason. A healthy season from the 28-year-old would certainly be beneficial.
“What he went through last year was really challenging mentally and physically,” Quatraro said. “So to have a good offseason and come in a good frame of mind is obviously important to him and to us.”
Ragans will look to build up some momentum this spring. Health is imperative as he starts to log Cactus League innings. He is expected to get a good amount of work as multiple teammates are headed off to the World Baseball Classic.
Ragans declined an invitation to pitch for Team USA in the WBC. He wanted to remain in camp and be ready for the start of the Royals’ regular season. It was a tough decision but one that Ragans believes will benefit his preparation and his readiness for the team.
The Royals will begin the 2026 season against the Atlanta Braves. Opening day is set for March 27 at Truist Park in Atlanta. Ragans is expected to draw the start opposite Braves ace Chris Sale.
It will be a battle of elite pitchers. And Ragans will be up for the competition.
“We can’t look too far ahead,” Ragans said. “Don’t worry about what happened in the past and what happened last year. Don’t worry about what happened the day before.
“We’ve got to focus on the day that’s at hand and that game. And do our best to win that game and whatever that takes.”
