Right-handed hurler Cody Ponce's road to recovery has officially begun
The Toronto Blue Jays have been hit with the injury bug harder than arguably any other team in the major leagues this season, particularly pitchers.
The Blue Jays have no less than five hurlers, both starters and relievers, out with various ailments.
One of Toronto's injured pitchers, Trey Yesavage, is currently on a rehab assignment and seems to be nearing his return.
However, another injured Blue Jays pitcher has just begun his journey of recovery.
Per a post on "X" from Sportsnet reporter Arden Zwelling, right-handed starter Cody Ponce underwent successful ACL surgery Friday. Unfortunately, the surgery appears to be season-ending. Toronto is expecting Ponce to be ready for spring training in 2027, per Zwelling's report.
Ponce suffered a sprained ACL during a game against the Colorado Rockies on March 30. He knee buckled while he was attempting to field a ground ball early in the game. It was his first start of the season.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider is still holding on to a "1% chance" he pulls off a miracle and returns before next spring, according to a post on "X" from MLB.com reporter Keegan Matheson.
When Ponce initially suffered the injury, it was uncertain whether he would miss most of the season or all of it according to initial diagnoses. But it looks like Ponce will have to wait another year before putting together a full season in the majors.
It's a disappointing development for Ponce, who returned to the major leagues after a four-year excursion overseas.
Ponce, who was selected 55th overall in the 2015 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, struggled to break onto a major league roster in his first stint in MLB. He made his big league debut in 2020 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who released him Nov. 29, 2021.
Ponce went overseas and successfully reinvented himself. He played with the Hokkaido Nipppon Ham-Fighters from 2022-23 in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, stayed in the NPB with Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in 2024 and wrapped up his overseas sabbatical with the Korean Baseball Organization's Hanwha Eagles in 2025.
In his lone season in the KBO, Ponce won the Choi Dong-won Award (KBO's version of the Cy Young), was a KBO All-Star and won the KBO MVP award.
Toronto showed faith in the 31-year-old right-hander and signed him to a three-year, $30 million contract this offseason. His ill-fated outing against the Rockies was his first stateside start since Oct. 3, 2021.
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