Yikes.
The Royals announced they have placed Cole Ragans on the Injured List with a rotator cuff strain, retroactive to June 8. The team also activated reliever Lucas Erceg from the Injured List, recalled pitcher Jonathan Bowlan, and designated pitcher Trevor Richards for assignment.
Ragans has battled injuries on and off the past few weeks. He missed two weeks with a groin injury, then returned on Thursday and was ineffective against the Cardinals, giving up five hits, three walks, and five runs in just three innings of work, with just 47 of his 78 pitches going for strikes. For the year, Ragans has a 5.18 ERA in ten starts, although his FIP is just 2.40 – one of the largest disparities in baseball and he has the highest strikeout rate in baseball for anyone with at least 40 innings pitched. But he has gone more than five innings in a start just twice all year, the last time on April 13.
The Royals already had five starters available, with rookie Noah Cameron joining the rotation and looking sensational over his first five starts, notwithstanding his outing last night against the Yankees. The lefty has a 2.17 ERA, and Tuesday was the first game in which he has given up more than one run.
Erceg returns after missing two weeks with back inflammation. The reliever has a 1.96 ERA with 18 strikeouts and just three walks in 23 innings. Richards is cut loose after three outings with the Royals where he gave up four runs in three innings and retired just 9 of the 18 batters he faced. Bowlan has a 4.09 ERA in 11 innings with the Royals this year, striking out 10 with 6 walks.