[Official] Ponce, a native of Hanwha, is out for the season, and he will finally undergo knee surgery. "Sprained anterior cruciate ligament... "I'm going to be rehabilitated for 6 months"

*This content was translated by AI.

Major leaguer Cody Ponce (32, Toronto Blue Jays) from Hanwha Eagles was finally out for the season.

MLB.com , the official website of the Major League Baseball, said on the 8th (Korea Standard Time), "Ponce will undergo surgery next Wednesday for a sprained right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). He is expected to miss about six months," he said.

Earlier on March 31, Ponce suffered a major injury in his right knee while catching a ground ball during a home game against Colorado at Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Ponce, who was diagnosed with an anterior cruciate ligament sprain as a result of the examination, moved to the injured list (IL) on the 60th shortly afterwards to announce the seriousness of the situation. Afterwards, he met Dr. Neil Elatrice, an authority on sports medicine in the western United States, for additional examinations and decided on surgery.

As a result, Ponce's highly anticipated first season back in the Major League went up in smoke. Ponce played in the KBO league as a member of Hanwha last year, recording 17 wins and 1 loss with a 1.89 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 180 ⅔ innings in 29 regular-season games.

Along with Ryan Weiss (30, Houston Astros), he led Hanwha to the first Korean Series in 19 years, and won the league MVP by becoming the first four-time foreign pitcher in the KBO (multiple wins, ERA, strikeouts, and winning percentage).

Based on these achievements, he signed a three-year, $30 million contract with Toronto after the end of the season and returned home. Throughout his time, he was loved by many fans for showing his affection for Korea and Hanwha, and even after entering the Major League, he was cheered as much as a Korean major leaguer.

After his return, Ponce raised expectations by pitching well in five exhibition games with two wins and no losses with a 0.66 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 13 ⅔ innings. However, Ponce's success story has been postponed until next year. Arithmetically, it is possible to return within the postseason this year, but it is not expected to be easy. MLB.com said: "Toronto wants to play until October and give Ponce a chance. However, on the premise that Ponce's season is over, he expressed skepticism, saying, "We have to plan for the rest of 2026."

This is not the only bad news for Toronto. Addison Varga was also on the injured list on the same day. Varga suffered a left ankle injury while advancing to first base after a ground ball.

Catcher Alejandro Kirk also underwent surgery over the weekend in connection with a fractured left thumb that he suffered in Chicago. According to MLB.com , Kirk inserted a screw in his thumb and was expected to return in late May due to a six-week rehabilitation finding.

In addition, Trey Yeservige (right shoulder), Jose Berrios (right elbow stress fracture), Shane Bieber (right elbow inflammation), Max Scherzer (right forearm tendinitis), and Anthony Santander (left shoulder joint order) have already been listed as injured.

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*This content was translated by AI.