Bad news on the injury front for Blue Jays pitcher Cody Ponce, as the team has confirmed that he has a sprained right ACL following his injury on Monday night. Both Ponce and the Jays medical staff are seeking second opinions as to whether it is a full tear, with Jays manager John Schneider telling reporters that they are “holding onto hope” that he can pitch again this year.
Either way, the 31 year old is set to miss significant time rehabbing. Ponce was forced out of the team’s game in the top of the third inning on Monday as he attempted to field a ground ball off the bat of Jake McCarthy.
Replays showed the pitchers right knee buckling awkwardly, with Ponce telling reporters afterwards that he felt like he “hyperextended” it. The reigning Korea Baseball Organization MVP had to be carted off the field and finished the night with 1H, 1K, and 1 earned run across 2.1IP.
Toronto signed Ponce to a 3 year, $30M contract this offseason, and were relying on him in the early going as the team deals with a variety of injuries to their pitching staff. Trey Yesavage (shoulder), Shane Bieber (elbow), Yimi Garcia (elbow), and Jose Berrios (elbow) are all currently banged up. Not to mention, RHP Bowden Francis will miss the entire season due to Tommy John surgery as well.
Even in the minor leagues, LHP Ricky Tiedemann, Toronto’s number 5 prospect, is currently week to week with left elbow soreness, removing a potential call up replacement option at the back end of the Jays rotation. As a result of the latest injury setback, Toronto called up RHP Lazaro Estrada from Triple-A Buffalo to add another arm into the mix.
Estrada made two appearances for Toronto last season, but struggled at the MLB level, recording an 8.59 ERA across 7.1IP.
It would now appear as though veteran Max Scherzer, who the club initially planned to ease back into action, will see a larger usage rate than initially planned in the early goings of the season.
Toronto continues their series vs. the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday with a 1:07pm ET first pitch.
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