Cody Ponce Carted Off Fieled, Suffering ACL Injury In First Appearance In MLB Since 2021

In what was supposed to be a memorable day for Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Cody Ponce, it quickly turned into a nightmare for the 31-year-old.

Ponce suffered what is believed to be a right ACL sprain and will miss significant time, according to Blue Jays manager John Schneider.

The injury occurred during the top of the third inning when a weak ground ball was hit in between the pitcher and the first baseman, when Ponce tried to make a play on the ball and came up hobbling. Ponce ended up getting carted off the field, which was not what he envisioned when making his return to the big leagues.

The game got away from the Blue Jays, who lost to the Colorado Rockies 14-5, but the focus is on Ponce and his health.

Ponce spent last season in the KBO and was fantastic, posting a 1.89 ERA with 252 strikeouts over 180 2/3 innings. Superb numbers which allowed him to cash in with the Blue Jays on a three-year, $30 million deal.

“The last couple of years and then getting back here [to MLB], and he was throwing the ball really well. Even on the field, McCarthy was pretty cool and was apologizing to him. In real time, Cody was talking back to him. I just told him to focus one minute at a time. There was a lot of emotion that goes into today, and he was really excited. It just sucks to see that happen to him. We’re wishing for the best,” Schneider told the media postgame.

Ponce’s season is not over, but he has some time to rehab and get healthy before making his way back into the Blue Jays rotation.