Blue Jays Announce Devastating Timeline for Cody Ponce's Return

A visit with the famed (infamous?) Dr. Neal ElAttrache is never good news for a baseball pitcher. For Toronto Blue Jays' right-hander Cody Ponce, the team has announced that his appointment with the orthopedic surgeon ended with the news that he will have surgery on his sprained MCL and is pretty much done for the season.

Blue Jays SP Cody Ponce will have surgery on his sprained ACL next Wednesday.

Approximate return to play timeline is around six months.
— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) April 7, 2026

The approximate timeline for a return for Ponce is "around six months," reports Arden Swelling. i.e. Don't expect to see Ponce again untiil the 2027 season.

It's an absolutely crushing break for Ponce, who was making a triumphant return to the major leagues after finding his niche by pitching in Japan and Korea the past four years. There was a ton of excitement for the 32-year-old, who completely dominated Korea last season with his new repertoire. The Jays were counting on him as a key piece of their 2026 rotation.

Instead, he's the fourth starter to go down to injury already this season, though his is, thus far, clearly the most serious. Trey Yesavage, Jose Berrios, and eventually, Shane Bieber, are all expected back sometime in the not-too-distant future.

Ponce will have surgery on strained MCL, be out for six months

Ponce suffered the freak injury after a couple of bizarre incidents in Friday's game. First, he fell down on the mound while attempting to throw a pitch when his leg seemed to catch on something. A few pitches later, his knee hyperextended as he was running to cover first base, and he collapsed to the ground in pain. He was carted off the field in a devastating scene.

The Jays have had plenty of other injury news to deal with as well. The updates on Tuesday include the fact that Addison Barger has gone on the IL, but they are hoping that his stint will be a minimal one, as per manager John Schneider. It will all depend on how Barger's ankle responds to treatment.

As for Max Scherzer, who left Monday's start after just two innings due to forearm tendinitis, the news on Tuesday is that he should be fine for his next start.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider says Max Scherzer “feels good. Doesn’t feel any worse than [Monday."]

Plan as of Tuesday is for Scherzer to throw his normal side session on Friday and make his next start.
— Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) April 7, 2026