Kansas City Royals ace Cole Ragans exited Wednesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians after being struck on the left thumb by a 92.4 mph comebacker from Jose Ramirez. The left-hander left the mound two batters later, raising concerns for the Royals' pitching staff.

Tests revealed no fractures, with Ragans diagnosed with only a thumb contusion. The 27-year-old expressed optimism about his condition, telling reporters he's "a little stiff" but expects to make his next scheduled start. This injury update comes as welcome news for Kansas City, which fell to 5-7 on the season following the 10-2 loss.

Ragans, now 0-3 with a 5.91 ERA this season, was charged with three runs in just 2/3 of an inning before his exit. The thumb injury occurred during what has been a challenging start to the year for the Royals' pitching staff, making the positive prognosis particularly important for their rotation depth.