Cole Ragans Named Royals Opening Day Starter

By Max Rieper

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (RoyalsReview.com) – On Opening Day of 2023, Cole Ragans was not in the Royals organization, nor in a Major League rotation. This year, he’ll be an Opening Day starter for the Royals.

The Royals officially tabbed Ragans as their starter for the March 28 opener against the Twins, according to MLB.com reporter Anne Rogers. He’ll be the first left-handed Opening Day starter for the Royals since Danny Duffy in 2020.

Ragans was the best pitcher in baseball, according to fWAR, after the Royals acquired him at the July trade deadline from the Rangers for pitcher Aroldis Chapman. He went 5-2 with a 2.70 ERA with a 32.3 percent strikeout rate and was worth 2.3 fWAR over the final two months of the season. He earned AL Pitcher of the Month honors in August, the first Royals pitcher to earn the monthly award since Zack Greinke in 2009.

The Royals have not officially named the rest of the starters, but the rotation is expected to include Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, and Brady Singer. Jordan Lyles was the favorite for the fifth spot in the rotation, but he has battled a back injury and ineffectiveness this spring, opening the door for Daniel Lynch IV, Alec Marsh or Angel Zerpa to claim a spot in the rotation.