Toronto Blue Jays Cody Ponce to undergo knee surgery, season likely over

The return to play timeline is six months, so it’s highly likely his season is over. He is already on the 60-day injured list.

It’s a brutal blow for Ponce and the team. Ponce had spent the past few years overseas. He had an excellent 2025 season in Korea, giving the Hanwha Eagles 180 2/3 innings with a 1.89 ERA.

He parlayed that into a three-year, $30MM deal with the Blue Jays but that deal has begun in one of the most agonizing ways possible.

Ponce was making his team debut last night when he tried to field a grounder in the third inning. He fell to the ground in obvious pain and was later carted off the field.

The team initially announced his injury as right knee discomfort. It now appears he will miss the majority of the 2026 campaign, meaning his triumphant return to the majors will have to wait.

For the Blue Jays, this adds another layer to the challenges they have been facing with their rotation depth.

Each of Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and José Berríos began the season on the injured list.

Yesavage, Bieber and Berríos are all now throwing and could potentially be back in the mix in the near future. Yesavage is the closest.

Yesavage, threw his first rehab start with Dunedin on last week, giving up one run on a single hit—an inside-the-park home run—while striking out three and walking one over 2.2 innings against the Bradenton Marauders. Thirty of the 44 pitches he threw were strikes.

He will make another Single-A rehab start with the Dunedin Blue Jays on Thursday.

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