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Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Cody Ponce was carted off the field in his first MLB start since 2021 with an apparent leg injury.
Ponce, 31, sustained the injury while trying to field a bouncing ground ball between the pitcher’s mound and first base in the third inning of the Blue Jays’ 14-5 loss to the Colorado Rockies on Monday night at the Rogers Centre.
Ponce seemed to take a bad step and hobbled for a couple of strides before falling to the infield dirt. First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. immediately waved toward the dugout before Ponce crumpled to the ground.
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Toronto Blue Jays’ Cody Ponce (66) tips his cap to the fans after leaving the game with an injury on a play at first base against the Colorado Rockies during the third inning at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on March 30, 2026. (Kevin Sousa/Imagn Images)
The Pomona, California, native remained down until he was helped onto the cart. Ponce was emotional on the cart but waved to fans as he was being taken off the field.
Ponce had last pitched in the big leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2021, pitching to a 7.04 ERA in 15 appearances. He spent three seasons in Japan before pitching in South Korea in 2025, and earned a three-year, $30 million contract from the Blue Jays this offseason.
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Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Cody Ponce (66) throws to a Colorado Rockies batter in the first inning of an interleague baseball game in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on March 30, 2026. (Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press via AP)
He pitched 2.1 innings while striking out three and allowing one run to score in his start before he was injured.
It is unclear when Ponce could return to action.
Ponce was projected to be a big part of the Blue Jays’ starting rotation as they look to return to the World Series after falling just two outs shy of beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in last year’s Fall Classic.
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Toronto Blue Jays’ Cody Ponce (66) pitches to a Colorado Rockies batter during the first inning at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on March 30, 2026. (Kevin Sousa/Imagn Images)
Dylan Cease, who signed a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Blue Jays, was also brought in alongside Ponce to fortify the rotation.
The Blue Jays (3-1) will look to bounce back from the loss when they play the Rockies (1-3) in the second game of their three-game series on Tuesday at 7:07 p.m. ET.
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