Ragans (elbow) to undergo more testing after latest setback

KANSAS CITY -- Left-hander Cole Ragans had another setback on Friday, waking up with his left arm not feeling great and cutting a catching session short.

“We’re going to get him some more testing in the next couple of days,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.

Quatraro said the team doesn’t think Ragans’ latest setback is something “awful,” but acknowledged that “it’s concerning” when a pitcher is dealing with an arm issue.

Ragans has been on the 15-day injured list since May 8 (retroactive to May 7) with a left elbow impingement after he exited his start against the Guardians on May 6 after just three innings. More specifically, he was diagnosed with valgus extension overload -- a condition commonly called “pitcher’s elbow” that’s characterized by back- and middle-elbow pain related to repetition in throwing athletes.

All seemed to be going well in his recovery the first few weeks, including a rehab start May 23 at Triple-A Omaha in which he allowed one run in 4 1/3 innings. But he did not recover well from that start.

Ragans eventually returned to the mound with a 23-pitch bullpen session on June 10 but his next steps are now to be determined.

Ragans, the Royals’ Opening Day starter, was 1-4 with a 4.84 ERA in eight starts.

In other rotation news, Quatraro said Monday’s starter will remain TBD after Seth Lugo landed on the seven-day concussion injured list on Friday.

“We’re going to have to see how we get through these next couple of days,” Quatraro said.