Pittsburgh Pirates News: Cody Ponce Battling Forearm Issue

Tuesday afternoon Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington informed the media that pitcher Cody Ponce is battling a forearm issue

Thursday afternoon at 2:20 PM EST the Pittsburgh Pirates will kick off their 2021 regular season at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs. One player the Pirates will not have for this game is right-handed pitcher Cody Ponce.

The Pittsburgh Pirates not having Ponce on their active roster for the start of the regular season is not a surprise. Ponce was not expected to crack the team’s Opening Day roster entering Spring Training. However, what was not anticipated was injury issues for Ponce.

According to Pirate general manager Ben Cherington, Ponce has “felt something in his forearm area.” Obviously, any forearm pain for a pitcher is an ominous sign. However, Cherington also told reporters that Ponce has still been able to throw on the side despite not appearing in a Grapefruit League game after March 6.

Ponce made his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2020. During the 2020 season Ponce 17 innings in five games, three of which were starts. In these 17 innings of work he posted a strong 3.18 ERA, however, his FIP was 5.52. A big reason for this was his 2.65 HR/9 and a strikeout rate of just 18.2% to go with a 9.1% walk rate.

In Grapefruit League play Ponce pitched in just two games. Ponce pitched 2 innings in these two games, allowing a solo home run, walking three and striking out a batter. The solo home run Ponce  allowed was both the only hit and run he allowed prior to being shutdown this spring due to his forearm pain.

What’s next for Ponce remains to be seen. Entering spring the plan was for him to start the season as starting pitching depth for the Pirates. Although, he could also pitch out of the bullpen for the Bucs.

If he is healthy enough to do so, look for Ponce to get stretched out at the alternate training site before joining the starting rotation at Triple-A Indianapolis when the minor league season begins. That said, if Ponce’s forearm issue is serious he may miss a period of time.