KC Royals' positive Cole Ragans injury update provides light at the end of the tunnel

One of the most surprising things about the KC Royals' recent red-hot run is that they’ve done it without their ace pitcher. But there’s a definite light at the end of the tunnel in that regard, as it's possible they’re getting Cole Ragans back by the end of the weekend.

Kansas City beat writer Anne Rogers laid out who the Royals will have going to the mound starting on Friday in a series against the Baltimore Orioles. She reported that Michael Wacha, Kris Bubic and Michael Lorenzen will hold down the team this weekend.

However, she added a nice tidbit for those who have been worried about how long Ragans will be out. Rogers reported that the staff ace was slated for a bullpen session on Thursday afternoon. The KC Royals will then monitor how Ragans is feeling and, should everything go right, he could be back in the rotation by Monday.

KC Royals ace Cole Ragans could rejoin rotation as soon as Monday

His potential quick return could be the biggest reason why Noah Cameron was sent back to Triple-A Omaha after one heck of an outing in his major league debut.  Ragans returning to the roster on Monday would also indicate that the Opening Day starter will get to skip a rehab assignment before rejoining the big-league club, as he was on the IL for a short period of time. That points to an impressively quick heal from the Royals' rotation leader.

Ragans left his final start pre-injury after just three innings with something the team reported as "groin tightness" at the time. It was later confirmed to be a mild groin strain, and there was some concern that the situation could be one that lingered. 

While KC Royals fans are still waiting for official word on how the bullpen session went on Thursday, it appears there’s a reason for quite a bit of optimism in regards to Ragans' status. His return would be just another piece of good news during a period where almost everything has been going right for a franchise on the rise.