KANSAS CITY – Over three hours before first pitch on Wednesday, the Royals' dugout was full of players, coaches and trainers, with their eyes locked in on No. 55 taking the mound. It was Cole Ragans’ live BP day, and everyone wanted to watch. On the road back from a left rotator cuff strain that has had him sidelined since June – and a groin strain that caused him to miss time in May – Ragans took the next important step Wednesday with his first live BP session at Kauffman Stadium, facing live hitters for the first time in his rehab process. “Threw the ball free and easy,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “Got to face hitters and amped up the adrenaline a little bit. So far, so good.” Ragans threw 30 pitches across two “innings” and faced Nick Loftin, Tyler Tolbert and Carter Jensen. It didn’t matter that those were his teammates; Ragans wanted to get them out. And he did a pretty good job of it. |
“It just gives you that adrenaline boost,” Ragans said. “They’re trying to freakin’ hit what you throw over the plate and you’re trying to not let them hit it. Trying to keep them off balance, execute, get ahead. It gives you that adrenaline boost: Somebody is trying to hit this stuff. In a bullpen, there’s no consequences leaving a pitch unexecuted. So having that in the back of your head – even if it is my teammates, you’re trying to punch them out. Talk a little trash later on. Just gives you that little extra adrenaline boost when someone is trying to hit the ball.” OK, so Ragans still has that competitive fire. That’s great to hear from the ace pitcher the Royals desperately need back as they push toward the finish line, trying to sprint to the playoffs rather than end their season in September. But how is he feeling physically? “We’re close,” Ragans said. “I think the next step is getting into an actual game where there are actual results that are going to happen and stuff like that. So we’re close. Everything feels good.” Now that is even better to hear. Indeed, if everything checks out over the next few days with how Ragans recovers, he could be headed out on a rehab assignment early next week. That would be the next step, although how and when the Royals plan that out is still to be determined. And from there, it’s still unclear how long Ragans will need and how his body will respond to getting back into game action. |
His recovery is still a day-by-day process. But seeing steps like Wednesday’s is as positive of a step as it gets for Ragans. “There are a few mechanical things that I need to work on,” Ragans said. “There are some things out there today – even though it is just a live BP, kind of went ball one, so trying to just get ahead, I think that’s a big thing. … But overall, I felt like I was in a good spot.” As Ragans chatted with reporters following the live BP, he threw on a shirt with the words “Arm Feels Good” across the chest. He bought it a few months ago when he saw an Instagram ad for it and gave in to the finely tuned algorithm. He confirmed it was an accurate representation of how he’s feeling. Maybe that’s all that needs to be said. |
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CAMERON READY TO SLOT BACK IN |
After the Royals skipped Noah Cameron’s start over the weekend against the Tigers, the rookie feels pretty well-rested for how late it is in the season and where he’s at innings-wise. He’s well past his career high in innings, with 140 2/3 innings this season between the Majors (108) and Minor Leagues (32 2/3) surpassing last year’s 128 2/3 frames. But he feels ready to go now for the stretch run. And the Royals are going to need him. Cameron is starting Thursday night against the Angels now instead of Seth Lugo, who will be pushed back after dealing with low back tightness the past two days while playing catch. Over the last week-plus, Cameron has thrown two bullpen sessions and worked on fixing mechanical issues that he felt had creeped in because of fatigue. For example, his arm slot has risen more than he’d like. “We looked month-to-month, and it’s gone up the last couple of months,” Cameron said. “It wasn’t like, in my mind, like, ‘Let’s try to help the shoulder or something else.’ But I think sometimes that can tell you there’s fatigue. So just trying to get it back down where I used to be. Trying to work on the changeup a little bit more. I lost it there, and it’s been better.” |
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The situation Jac Caglianone has found himself in is much different than his first stint in the big leagues between June and July. After suffering a left hamstring strain at the end of July, Caglianone used the time during his recovery and rehab assignment to work on his approach and the weaknesses that were exploited when he hit just .147 with five homers in 41 games with Kansas City. Now that he’s back with the big league club, Caglianone isn’t the Royals’ everyday right fielder. That job belongs to Mike Yastrzemski, who has been a huge help for this team at the leadoff spot and defensively in the outfield. Caglianone will get at-bats in right field, first base and designated hitter, but it won’t be every day. He’ll earn more through production. “It kind of just gave me a blueprint,” Caglianone said of his first stint with the Royals. “Gave me what I needed to work on to start having some success up here and help contribute to the team. … More so like approach-based and just kind of sticking to it. I’m feeling really good going into this, and I'm just happy to be back up.” |
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