Right-handed pitcher Cody Ponce, who dominated the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) last year before returning to the major leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays, has been diagnosed with an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee.
The Toronto Blue Jays announced Tuesday (Korea time) that Ponce had been diagnosed with a sprain and would undergo further examination to determine the extent of the damage and whether a tear had occurred. "He is unable to pitch for the time being, so we have placed him on the 15-day injured list," the club said.
Ponce was injured during his start against the Colorado Rockies at Rogers Centre in Toronto on March 31. While fielding a ground ball in the third inning, he hurt his right knee. He collapsed on the field and was carted off.
Toronto manager John Schneider told MLB.com and other outlets on Tuesday that he had spoken with Ponce until 1 a.m. "It's very unfortunate that he got hurt in his first start," Schneider said. Asked whether Ponce could return to pitch this season, he replied, "We're keeping all possibilities open. There is some possibility."
Ponce posted an outstanding 17-1 record with a 1.89 ERA and 252 strikeouts in the KBO regular season last year with the Hanwha Eagles before signing a three-year, $30 million contract with Toronto.
Returning to the big leagues for the first time in five years, Ponce recorded a 0.66 ERA across five spring training appearances and earned a spot in the starting rotation. However, he went down with the unexpected injury in his very first regular-season start.