The Kansas City Royals have placed their top two starting pitchers on the injured list. The team announced Saturday that Cole Ragans (left groin strain) and Seth Lugo (sprained middle finger, move retroactive to May 14) are both now on the IL with lefties Noah Cameron and Evan Sisk coming to the majors in corresponding moves.
Both pitchers were All-Stars last season, with Lugo finishing second in Cy Young voting and Ragans placing fourth.
Lugo is 3-4 with a 3.02 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 42 strikeouts in 56⅔ innings this season. Ragans is 2-3 with a 4.53 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 72 strikeouts in 45⅔ innings. His groin problem appears to have been lingering for weeks and could be a culprit behind his down numbers. The best pitchers for the Royals this season have been Kris Bubic and Michael Wacha, but the most likely outcome here long term would be Ragans and Lugo ending up as the top two starters, so this is a big blow.
The Royals lost six in a row through the middle of April, but they then went on a run, winning 16 of 18 games to thrust themselves back into contention in the AL Central. They’ve since lost five of six and sit 5.5 games out of first in the division. These injuries come before a tough road trip to San Francisco and Minnesota.
Cameron gets the start Saturday against the Cardinals at home. He’s only made one previous MLB start, working 6⅓ scoreless innings with only one hit allowed, though he did walk five and only strike out three. Sisk is a reliever and only has two career MLB appearances with a 0.00 ERA and 1.71 WHIP.
