"Oh, my God!' Ponce, who injured his knee, is going to the "finish" operating table? "I'm going to LA to see a ligament specialist."

*This content was translated by AI.

Cody Ponce (32, Toronto Blue Jays), who suffered an unexpected injury in his first Major League Baseball (MLB) return in five years since 2021, turned out to be more serious than expected. In the end, without ruling out the worst-case scenario of "surgery," he will find the world's best ligament specialist and board a flight to LA (to Los Angeles).

According to multiple media outlets, including Major League Baseball's official website MLB.com , Toronto manager John Schneider (46) met with reporters ahead of the home game against the Colorado Rockies on the 2nd (Korea time) to report Ponce's injury update. "Ponce is scheduled to meet with orthopedic specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles sometime next week," he said.

Ponce started against Colorado on March 31, but suffered a broken right knee during a ground ball defense in the third inning. Ponce, who complained of pain, got up on his own, but he was carried off on a cart, causing concern. The diagnosis so far is a sprained right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), but both inside and outside the club are concerned about damage beyond a simple sprain. It seems that they are continuing to check for ligament rupture.

"Dr. ElAtrache has already reviewed all of Ponce's MRI data," Schneider said. Now, it is time to meet face-to-face to check the affected area and make a final decision. For now, surgery is one of the options," he added.

Dr. Neil ElAtrache is considered the "master of sports medicine" who conducted surgeries for numerous star players, including Ryu Hyun-jin (39, Hanwha Eagles) and Shohei Ohtani (32, LA Dodgers). In particular, he is known as an expert in the field of ligaments. Ponce's visit to him is likely to be difficult to solve by rehabilitation alone.

Ponce is a player who dreamed of a "myth of reverse export" through the Japanese Professional Baseball (NPB) and the KBO League Hanwha Eagles. Ahead of this season, he returned to the big league splendidly by signing a three-year, $30 million (about 45.3 billion won) contract with Toronto, but he was on the verge of losing the entire season in just one game.

In particular, Ponce's family, including George Kittle, Ponce's brother-in-law and star of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers, were watching the game, adding to the regret. Kittle, who is rehabilitating from an Achilles tendon injury, had to watch his brother-in-law's injury on the spot, and the two are reportedly consoling each other by sharing the pain of "same bed."

Ponce's departure is also a fatal blow for the Toronto club, which has already been injured in key starters such as Shane Bieber and Jose Berrios. The club has currently called up Triple-A resources such as Lazaro Estrada, but it is evaluated that it is not enough to fill the ball power and experience expected from Ponce.

Will the return stage, which came after five years of waiting, turn into a tragedy. The meeting with Dr. ElAtrache, who will determine Ponce's fate, is expected to be decided in the morning of the 7th in Korean time. If the surgery is decided, Ponce's 2026 season will end as it is.

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*This content was translated by AI.