KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City's ace will be back on the mound for the Royals' 2025 opening day game against the Cleveland Guardians. Ragans was the opening day starter last year as well, after establishing himself as a true ace in Kansas City. Alex Gordon elected into Kansas City Roya ls Hall of Fame After a rough start in today's Spring Training game in Surprise, Arizona, Ragans now has some good news. Ragans was pulled three separate times in today's game against the Colorado Rockies for control and pitch count issues. Now, the lefty can look forward to March 27, when the Royals will meet the Guards at Kauffman Stadium. In 2024, Ragans finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting. He racked up 11 wins and nine losses with an ERA of 3.14. He struck out 223 batters in 186.1 innings. ...read more read less