Royals Rumblings - News for April 14, 2025

Cole Ragans can only be stopped by cramps.

Anne Rogers writes that Cole Ragans was masterful on Sunday.

If not for a left hamstring cramp that Ragans began to feel throughout his outing and more while facing Austin Hedges in the eighth inning, the Royals’ lefty might have completed his first career complete game. He was that dominant and that efficient, beginning his outing with a six-pitch first inning and ending his day at just 89 pitches.

“Oh man, I know,” Ragans said of the potential for a complete game. “Trust me, I thought about it. I thought about it. But we’ve got some good guys in the back end there. They know what they’re doing.”

Jonathan India is day-to-day with a quad injury.

“It happened a couple of days ago, just tightness in the quad,” India said postgame. “We had been taking care of it and it felt fine all game. It just kind of tightened up on me that first to third. And I knew if I didn’t do something right there, I get up there again and hit a double or something, it probably would’ve went.

“This is probably the first time in my career I was smart enough to, you know, not blow something out on my body. So, I’ve got to take the positive out of that. I matured in a way to make sure I’m healthy for the rest of the year rather than missing two months with a pulled quad.”

Jaylon Thompson writes about Sam Long hitting the Injured List with elbow inflammation.

“I kind of had a wonky start to the season,” he explained, “where I got sick and then got hit in the hand. So I kind of feel like I have been playing catch-up from there. Trying to grind through it and try to do my best to manage it, be ready to go and just feel OK to pitch.

“It wasn’t a specific throw or pitch. I think just overall, it’s something that’s just not responding.”

He also writes about Kyle Isbel’s experiences trying a torpedo bat (he went 0-for-3).

“There are so many different models of bats right,” Isbel said. “I think there are a lot of different pitch shapes that you face. To me, it’s more of a balanced model. I tend to swing a more end-heavy bat against sinker guys and then, ride-cut guys, more like a balanced model. So, I was just curious to try.”

Vahe Gregorian writes that the Royals should still do a downtown baseball stadium.

I’d still like to see what happened in the parallel universe in which they laid out that site in August 2023 and took seven or eight months to work with their would-be neighbors instead of being in scramble mode.

When I asked Sherman in February what the most notable revelation of the failed vote was, he said having more time to work with that site was “probably the one thing I wish” most.

But just because the execution was lacking doesn’t mean the inspiration years in the dreaming was, too.

And that vision shouldn’t be excluded now.

Craig Brown thinks the India experiment on defense is going well.

I was a bit skeptical about Jonathan India moving off his normal position of second base. Fine…I was more than a bit skeptical. The reports from spring training weren’t especially glowing, and the eye test once the regular season got underway said he wasn’t entirely comfortable at either third base or left field. Passable, but not comfortable.

Man, we’re only a handful of games into the season, and I already have to reevaluate that line of thinking. On Wednesday, India started in left field and made a fine running grab on a shallow pop that was down the line. On Thursday at third base with the infield playing in, India flashed his hot corner reflexes going to his left to field a ground ball and make a solid throw home to cut down the potential go-ahead run.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter looks at some Royals hitters going through cold stretches.

Former Royals minor leaguer River Town signed with the independent Long Island Ducks.

Jung-Ho Lee goes yard twice against the Yankees.

Garrett Crochet takes a no-hitter into the eighth against the White Sox.

The Athletics try Brent Rooker in the outfield, possibly to make room for prospect Nick Kurtz.

Cubs pitcher Justin Steele is done for the year after an elbow injury.

Who will be baseball’s next $500 million player?

The Mariners are not looking to trade pitcher Luis Castillo.

Why the Cubs need to extend Kyle Tucker.

The Dodgers have discussed a trade for Luis Robert Jr.

What is the future of MLB free agency?

The Twins unveil a statue of Joe Mauer at their stadium.

Former Rookie of the Year and Reds manager Tommy Helms dies at age 83.

Rory McIlroy wins the Masters after a roller coaster ending.

Former LSU receiver and NFL draft hopeful Kyren Lacy dies from an apparent suicide.

An AI camera could soon be scanning the skies for aliens.

Why are some cities worse for allergies than others?

The best video game adaptation of all time.

Your song of the day is Mos Def with Know That.