Royals’ Rotation Suffers Significant Losses
The Kansas City Royals’ starting rotation is affected after Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo were placed on the 15-day injured list.
Ragans is facing a left groin strain, while Lugo is suffering from a sprain in his third finger. Lugo’s absence is retroactive to Wednesday.
To cover these absences, the team has called up Noah Cameron and Evan Sisk from Triple-A Omaha.
Ragans, 27, has a 2-3 record with a 4.53 ERA in nine starts this season. In his last five outings, he has allowed at least four runs in four of them. In 2024, he was an All-Star for the first time. Across four seasons with the Texas Rangers (2022-23) and the Royals, he has a 20-20 record with a 3.60 ERA in 79 appearances (62 as a starter).
Previously, Ragans missed an opening due to a slight groin strain, aggravating the injury on Friday in the 10-3 loss against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Lugo, 35, is 3-4 with a 3.02 ERA, also in nine starts. He was an All-Star for the first time last season. In his career, Lugo is 59-44 with a 3.35 ERA in 343 appearances (106 as a starter) for the New York Mets (2016-22), San Diego Padres (2023), and the Royals.
Cameron, 25, debuted in the Major Leagues on April 30 and pitched 6.1 scoreless innings, earning the win against the Tampa Bay Rays. In Omaha, his record was 2-1 with an ERA of 3.31 in seven starts.
Sisk, 28, debuted in the Major Leagues on April 15 and had two scoreless appearances as a reliever. In Omaha, he had a 0-1 record with a 0.75 ERA in 12 relief appearances.
Cameron is scheduled to open Saturday night against the Cardinals in Kansas City.
The Royals, who reached the playoffs last year, had lost three consecutive games before Saturday’s game. With a record of 25-21, they were 5.5 games behind first place in the American League Central.
