Cole Ragans will miss his next start. Here’s the Kansas City Royals’ backup plan
Kansas City Royals prospect Noah Cameron will make his MLB debut on Wednesday.
The St. Joseph native will make a spot start in place of Royals ace Cole Ragans, who is dealing with a left groin strain.
“We are going to push him back a spot, but we are pretty confident that he is not going to be on the IL,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.
Cameron, 25, pitched two innings in his latest start with Triple-A Omaha. He posted a 3.22 ERA in 22 ⅓ innings. In February, Cameron was invited to spring camp and pitched in a few games.
The Royals will push Ragans back in the starting rotation. It’s possible Ragans could pitch in the upcoming days.
“He could pitch in Baltimore, but we have to see once we get him off the mound,” Quatraro said.
Ragans continues to receive treatment and has a bullpen scheduled. He won’t pitch in the Tampa series as Michael Lorenzen is scheduled for Tuesday and Seth Lugo for Thursday’s finale.
“I feel like each day it’s gotten better,” Ragans said. “You know, it’s easier to get it moving. Feels better each day with activities and stuff like that. Obviously, with the off-day yesterday, I kind of took it easy.”
This season, Ragans owns a 4.40 ERA in six starts.
“Just play it safe,” Ragans said of the injury. “Don’t want it to be something that turns into something more serious than it needs to be. So, just throw here and then just kind of give it a few more days to get to feeling better and go from there.”
As for how Cameron became the best choice for Wednesday’s game: He impressed in spring camp and looks to add another quality start for the Royals.
“There is a lot to like about him,” Quatraro said. “He has good stuff and good poise. We think he can get righties and lefties out. You know, he is physical and has a lot of characteristics that good pitchers have.”
Cameron starred at St. Joseph Central in high school. Later, he attended the University of Central Arkansas and was selected in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft.
Cameron offers a different look as a left-handed pitcher. He leans on his off-speed pitches and continues to develop his cutter. The adjustments have allowed Cameron to pitch consistently in Triple-A.
“He worked on the cutter last year and added the slider this spring,” Quatraro said. “You know he’s got a plus changeup and a plus curveball. He’s got a lot of stuff we like.”
The Royals added Cameron to the 40-man roster this offseason. Cameron spoke about his impending MLB debut in spring training. Now, he will get his opportunity at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
“They have reassured me a ton of times that, ‘You are going to be helping our team out in some capacity,’” Cameron said at spring training. “Just definitely knowing that is encouraging and definitely gives me confidence, knowing that they believe I should be there.”
This story was originally published April 29, 2025 at 5:46 PM with the headline "Cole Ragans will miss his next start. Here’s the Kansas City Royals’ backup plan."
