TAMPA -- The Royals are skipping ace lefty Cole Ragans’ start on Wednesday as he continues to recover from the mild left groin strain that he suffered Thursday against the Rockies.
Instead, the Royals will call up lefty Noah Cameron, their No. 5 prospect, to make his Major League debut against the Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Ragans could make his next start as early as this weekend in Baltimore or next week when the Royals host the White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. He’s scheduled to throw a bullpen sometime this week in Tampa to assess how he feels before the Royals decide the rotation schedule.
“He wanted to pitch tomorrow,” manager Matt Quatraro said on Tuesday before the Royals' 3-1 series-opening victory against the Rays. “We’re trying to be on the cautious side, just making sure that when he does pitch again, the groin is behind him.”
Both Quatraro and Ragans were optimistic that the starter wouldn’t need an injured list stint.
“Each day has gotten better,” said Ragans, who exited his start against the Rockies after three innings. “Easier to get it moving, feels better each day with activities and stuff like that.
“Just play it safe. Don’t want it to turn into something more serious than it needs to be. So throw here, and then give it a few more days to get it out of there and get to feeling better and go from there.”
While the Royals proceed with caution with Ragans, they’re turning to one of their top pitching prospects for the spot start. The 25-year-old Cameron has a 3.22 ERA in five starts (22 1/3 innings) in Triple-A Omaha so far this season. In 2024, he posted a 3.08 ERA in Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A with 149 strikeouts and just 36 walks across 128 2/3 innings. The Royals added Cameron to the 40-man roster this past offseason, and he competed for a spot on the pitching staff in Spring Training.
The Royals knew they’d likely have to dip into their pitching depth at some point this year, and Cameron was their top option.
“There’s a lot to like about him,” Quatraro said. “He’s got good stuff, he’s got good poise. We think he can get righties and lefties out. He’s physical. … He worked on the cutter last year, added the slider this spring. He’s got a plus changeup, plus curveball. He’s got a lot of stuff we like.”
Cameron is a native of St. Joseph, Mo., and grew up a Royals fan living just north of Kansas City. He was the club’s seventh-round pick in the 2021 Draft out of Central Arkansas. After some injuries early in his career -- including Tommy John surgery that he had while still in college -- Cameron has steadily improved throughout his time in the Minors.
He has a five-pitch mix after adding a slider this spring. While he doesn’t overpower hitters with his 92-93 mph fastball, his game is all about his command. Cameron’s 9.0% walk rate in the small sample size of five starts this year is the highest it’s ever been; he had a 5.1% walk rate in Triple-A last year (6.7% between the two levels).
On Wednesday, he’ll get a chance to show that skillset for his hometown team in the big leagues.