Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans exited Monday afternoon’s game against the host Cleveland Guardians in the fifth inning due to cramps in his left calf and hamstring.

After Ragans walked Lane Thomas to open the home half of the fifth, Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez looked toward the dugout and called for a trainer to go check on the left-hander.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro obliged, and he took a trip to the mound with a trainer to take a look at Ragans. Following a brief conversation, Ragans came out of the game, and he appeared to be visibly frustrated in the dugout.

“Felt little things throughout the game, but just felt something a little more in the fifth,” Ragans said after the 4-3 victory. “No reason to push it. I’m already struggling to throw strikes.”

Ragans struggled with his control all afternoon, hitting a batter and walking four in his four-plus innings. He yielded two runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out four.

Right-hander James McArthur took over for Ragans.

Quatraro said afterward that he wasn’t concerned about Ragans’ health.

A first-time All-Star this season, the 26-year-old Ragans is 10-8 with a 3.28 ERA across 27 starts in 2024.

The Royals will play the Guardians again later Monday to complete a split doubleheader.

–Field Level Media