KANSAS CITY – The Royals received more clarity on their two injured pitchers awaiting test results following Thursday’s 8-5 loss to the Guardians.
Starter Cole Ragans is dealing with valgus extension overload (VEO) in his left elbow, a condition commonly called pitcher’s elbow that’s characterized by back and middle-elbow pain related to repetition in throwing athletes.
Reliever Carlos Estévez has a right rotator cuff strain after he experienced shoulder discomfort in his first rehab appearance on Wednesday and will be shut down for the next three weeks.
The Royals haven’t made any official roster moves with the two pitchers. Estévez remains on the 15-day injured list, while Ragans remains on the active roster as of Thursday.
Ragans exited Wednesday’s start against the Guardians after just three innings and 58 pitches, feeling tightness in his left triceps and elbow. The Royals were hopeful that it wasn’t too serious, and testing done on Thursday showed the VEO. Ragans is not the first pitcher on the Royals’ injured list with VEO this season – lefty reliever Bailey Falter has been sidelined with the same injury since April 3. He was shut down for a few days but threw a bullpen on April 8 and began a rehab assignment on April 15. Falter has been throwing consistently on the rehab assignment since then. The two pitchers might not have the exact same severity or timeline, but Falter’s case could provide some insight into how the next few days might go for Ragans.
Manager Matt Quatraro didn’t say whether Ragans would be shut down for an extended period of time; the Royals will evaluate Ragans in the coming days to determine the next steps.
“We don’t know,” Quatraro said of Ragans’ timeline. “We have to evaluate that [Friday] once he comes in and sees how he feels.”
Estévez is a different story. The 33-year-old reliever has been on the 15-day injured list since April 1 after he was hit on the left foot by a comebacker on March 28. In addition to the left foot contusion, Estévez has been working on getting his velocity back after seeing a significant dip during Spring Training and that first outing.
The Royals were optimistic about getting him out on a rehab assignment this week to see where he’s at with his health and delivery. Three batters and two outs into his outing with Triple-A Omaha, Estévez was experiencing shoulder discomfort and leaving the mound with a trainer.
Rotator cuff strains have varying levels of severity, leading to different timelines. Estévez will be reevaluated after three weeks of not throwing to determine the next steps in his recovery.
“We were very hopeful that he would be getting back here quickly, and now that he’s not, that’s disappointing,” Quatraro said. “I haven’t seen him yet since the game ended, but knowing him and knowing how he feels about the team, everything he tries to bring to the table, it’s extremely disappointing.”