The Blue Jays’ second series of 2026 against the Rockies got as bad as it could. While losing against the Rockies by 14-5 comes as a shock for the Toronto fans, Cody Ponce’s abrupt exit from the field is scarier. Expectations were riding high as Ponce returned to MLB after 2021, but his debut with the Jays came to a sudden halt as he appeared to tweak something, landing a step on his right leg. But while the fans are in panic mode, renowned sports doctor Brian Sutterer sounds more optimistic.

“Baseball field is big, it’s a long way to walk, to get back to maybe where the medical room and the athletic training room are. Even if it’s like some little minor or injury, if you’ve got the ability, you’re not going to make somebody hobble across an entire field. So just because we saw him get on the cart, that doesn’t mean that this is like an overly dramatic, big, serious injury,” Sutterer gave his initial impression.

Ponce started for the Blue Jays, but in the third inning, he visibly injured his right knee while chasing Jake McCarthy’s infield grounder and went down in the dirt behind first base. He was visibly in pain and was carted off from the field. Now, players getting carted off always strike a wrong chord with the fans. It denotes something very serious, but Dr. Sutterer rejects the notion.

According to him, the team didn’t want to risk aggravating Ponce’s injury by making him walk the entire field, so he was carted off. “He kind of felt it hyperextend a little bit, that’s what he told me on the field,” manager John Schneider said. “We’ve got to wait for the MRI results, hoping for the best.” So, fans can have a sigh of relief. But wait, because the situation is still far from being positive.

“This can cause an ACL if you get a forceful external load that pushes your knee inward, but typically that ACL is not going to be as predisposed to an injury when you land completely extended in this position… Remember, you typically don’t see somebody grab the back of their knee when they tear their ACL. They just generally don’t. They may grab the front of their knee, the outside of their knee, because that’s where some of the bone contusion patterns can hurt. And so my suspicion is more of a hyperextension,” Dr. Sutterer added.

So, Ponce might not have ACL, at least seeing how he grabbed his injured knee, and that would be a welcoming update. But as Schneider said, MRI reports will confirm the next course of action.

Based on how Ponce started the game, Blue Jays fans would hope for his return as early as possible.

Cody Ponce proved to be more lethal than before

Ponce last played in MLB with the Pirates between 2020 and 2021. He finished 2020 with a 3.18 ERA and 12 SOs in 17 innings. 2021 was bad as he finished off with a 7.04 ERA and 36 SOs in 38 innings. Since then, Ponce had spent his time in NPB and KBO. 

However, 2025 was a breakout year for Ponce as he finished with a 17–1 record, a 1.89 ERA, and 252 strikeouts in 180 innings. It helped him to set a new KBO League single-season strikeout record. By striking out 252 batters, he overtook Ariel Miranda’s record of 225. The result? Last December, Ponce signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Blue Jays, which was the largest contract for a pitcher returning to MLB from KBO. 

And he made his presence felt.

He threw 47 pitches that included sliders, changeups, four-seam fastballs, and curveballs. So, Ponce showed a variety, and as his fastball topped out at 97 mph, he seems to be in good shape. What’s more, he struck out three and walked one in 2⅓ innings before leaving the field, allowing one run and one hit. And thirty of his 47 pitches were strikes!

So, Cody Ponce showed quite a dominant stint from his limited on-field time. Only a positive MRI result will stop the panic among Jays Nation.