George Kittle’s Sister Drops Sweet Blue Jays Post Before Husband Cody Ponce's Injury

One of the most interesting and heartwarming storylines to follow during this past MLB offseason was the Toronto Blue Jays' signing of starting pitcher Cody Ponce to a three-year, $30 million contract.

Ponce last pitched in MLB in 2021, where he amassed an ugly 7.04 ERA in 38.1 innings pitched with the Pittsburgh Pirates. They released him at the end of that 2021 campaign, and Ponce, who was once considered a top prospect, went to play in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league in Japan.

Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Cody Ponce | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

After several solid seasons in the NPB, Ponce revitalized his baseball career in Korea, in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). He produced an absolutely stellar 2025 season with the KBO's Hanwha Eagles, where he went 17-1 with a 1.89 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 190.2 innings pitched. This was enough to earn him KBO league MVP honors.

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This is what set the stage for him to sign with Toronto and make his return to MLB. Ponce then made his season debut against the Colorado Rockies, and an unfortunate situation took place.

Toronto Blue Jays Cody Ponce (66) | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images

Ponce tried to field a ground ball in the third inning of his outing. However, he appeared to injure his knee while chasing after the ball.

He was hobbling around for a moment, clearly in pain, before going to the ground. He remained there for a time, speaking to trainers, before he was carted off the field and his debut ended.

Cody Ponce had to be carted off in his Blue Jays debut after collapsing trying to field a ground ball pic.twitter.com/FO0YUfYlZz
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 30, 2026

While there's no initial indication of what Ponce's injury is, the non-contact nature of it is bringing many to believe he suffered a torn ACL, which would likely mean his 2026 season is over.

But there's no way of knowing whether that's the case until the Blue Jays provide an update.

Cody Ponce’s Wife’s Blue Jays Post Before In-Game Injury Sparks Buzz

What's for sure is that Ponce is married to Emma Kittle Ponce, who is actually the older sister of San Francisco 49ers superstar tight end George Kittle. The couple has a child together.

Emma, her brother George, George's wife, Claire Kittle, and many other members of Kittle and Ponce's family were in attendance for Cody's season debut on March 30. Therefore, they all had to see him suffer the knee injury.

Emma made a March 30 Instagram post that showed her acclimating to the Blue Jays' home field during Opening Day. The post was captioned, "Love you already Canada 🇨🇦💙❤️".

The Kittle and the Ponce family is hoping that Cody's injury isn't as bad as initially believed.