Cody Ponce carted off field in first Blue Jays start

By Canadian Press on March 30, 2026.

TORONTO — Cody Ponce’s first Major League Baseball appearance in five years came to an abrupt end on Monday night.

Ponce was carted off the field in the third inning of the Toronto Blue Jays’ series opener against the visiting Colorado Rockies.

His knee appeared to buckle as he chased down a ground ball hit by Jake McCarthy.

The Rockies’ centre-fielder reached base and a run scored as Ponce writhed on the field in pain.

Ponce had tumbled off the mound earlier in McCarthy’s at bat, earning a balk that advanced Kyle Karros to third.

The 31-year-old Ponce last pitched in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021. The journeyman then played in Japan and South Korea.

Ponce had a 17-1 record over 29 starts with Hanwha in 2025, with a 1.89 earned-run average and 252 strikeouts to earn the KBO’s most-valuable player award. He agreed to a three-year, US$30-million deal with Toronto on Dec. 10.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 30, 2026.

The Canadian Press

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