Blue Jays Recall Pitcher from Triple-A After Disastrous Cody Ponce Injury

The injury bug has consumed the Toronto Blue Jays' pitching staff. This group has gone through an unlucky stretch of setbacks after adding a lot of depth in the offseason. The latest injury occurred on Cody Ponce, after he was carted off the field with a right knee injury in Monday's loss to the Colorado Rockies.

Ponce was making his first MLB start since 2021 after a stint in the KBO League. It's a heartbreaking turn of events for Ponce. While manager John Schneider provided several positive pitcher injury updates on Monday, guys like Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, and José Berríos are still likely weeks away from a return.

Thus, the Blue Jays made an early call to Triple-A.

Blue Jays Recall Right-Handed Pitcher From Triple-A

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Lazaro Estrada pitches in the first inning. | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Per Francys Romero of beisbolfr.com, the Blue Jays have recalled right-handed pitcher Lázaro Estrada from Triple-A Buffalo. He is expected to join the team on Tuesday. Estrada made six appearances during spring training and posted a 4.76 ERA over 11.1 innings with four strikeouts.

He was optioned to Triple-A on March 21st and had a strong outing on Friday. He threw 2.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Now, he'll have his second chance in the big leagues. He made his major league debut in July 2025.

In his first game, he pitched four relief innings and allowed one run on two hits with four strikeouts against the Los Angeles Angels. He was sent back down the day after, but returned to Toronto in late July. His second big league appearance didn't go as well, surrendering six earned runs across 3.1 innings.

Evaluating Other Starting Pitching Options

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Berrios throws a pitch. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Toronto is facing unfortunate circumstances within the pitching staff after these injuries. Coming into camp, the Blue Jays had one of the deepest rotations in baseball. Now, they're stretched to the brink. Assuming Ponce is headed to the injured list, Toronto barely has enough arms to fill out a five-man rotation.

Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Eric Lauer, Max Scherzer, and likely Estrada will be the rotation for now. As mentioned earlier, the other pitchers on the shelf aren't quite close enough to a return yet. Luckily, the season is young, and there is plenty of time for guys to get healthy.

This could be a massive opportunity for Estrada. He should get multiple chances to prove he belongs on the big league roster. The 26-year-old has never made a start for Toronto, but he'll have an elite defense behind him whenever his opportunity arises.