Royals' Ragans exits after pitching hand struck by liner
Kansas City Royals ace Cole Ragans left Wednesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians after taking a comebacker off his pitching hand.
Ragans was hit by a José Ramírez liner in the first inning.
Here's the video of Cole Ragans' apparent hand injury #Royals pic.twitter.com/sJRDj3VyB9
— Jaylon T. Thompson (@jaylonthompson) April 8, 2026
The Royals announced Ragans suffered a thumb contusion, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com.
Manager Matt Quatraro said postgame that Ragans didn't break any bones, per Royals broadcaster Joel Goldberg.
The left-hander initially stayed in the game after a lengthy visit by Quatraro and head athletic trainer Kyle Turner but departed after facing the next two hitters - including Chase DeLauter, who hit a two-run double.
Ragans logged just 61 2/3 innings (13 starts) in 2025 due to multiple injuries.
The 28-year-old finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting in 2024.