Kansas City Royals ace Cole Ragans will undergo surgery on his left elbow on July 1, according to MLB.com.
The extent of the damage will not be known until the operation, performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, is underway. The timetable for Ragans’ return will be determined then. Royals manager Matt Quatraro confirmed Tuesday that Ragans would undergo surgery.
“They’ve read the MRI, but I think they’re not going to be clear on the extent of (the surgery) until they get in there and understand what they see,” Quatraro said.
Ragans, who served as the team’s Opening Day starter each of the last three seasons, has not pitched in the big leagues since May 6 due to an impingement in his left elbow. He had one rehab outing for Triple-A Omaha on May 24, but he was moved to the 60-day injured list when his elbow did not respond well thereafter.
Ragans posted a 1-4 record with a 4.84 ERA in eight starts for the Royals. He enjoyed three magnificent games — including a six-inning, one-hit showing on April 14 at Detroit — but endured two outings where he surrendered more runs than innings pitched.
For his career, Ragans boasts a 22-24 record and a 3.76 ERA in 91 appearances (74 starts). He has averaged 10.86 strikeouts per nine innings: 506 whiffs in 419 1/3 innings.
