Cody Ponce’s rehab has taken on a pretty unusual shape, and it comes with a built-in family connection.
The Blue Jays pitcher recently told the 6ix Inning Stretch podcast that while he works back from knee surgery, he’s been throwing footballs to his brother-in-law, George Kittle, the All-Pro tight end for the San Francisco 49ers. Ponce has also tossed passes to tight ends Mason Pline of the Kansas City Chiefs and Robert Tonyan of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Ponce is coming off a tear in his anterior cruciate ligament that happened during his first start of the 2026 season on March 30. He had surgery in April to repair the ACL, and a few days later his season was officially over after he had thrown fewer than three innings.
The rehab work has not been limited to footballs. Ponce and Kittle have also spent time in the weight room together, while Kittle has been working on route running with Ponce’s help. That arrangement makes sense, since Ponce can still handle football throws and upper-body work as he continues recovering.
Kittle is dealing with a major injury of his own after tearing his Achilles tendon in the 49ers’ Wild Card playoff win in Philadelphia in January. Ponce is married to Kittle’s older sister Emma, which makes the rehab partnership even more personal.
Kittle was in Toronto in March to watch Ponce make his first start of the season. It was also Ponce’s first MLB start since 2021, after four years in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball and then a stint in the Korean Baseball Organization. Ponce won the KBO’s 2025 MVP award before signing a three-year deal with Toronto.
The family tie also connects Ponce to a franchise that has dealt with a heavy injury load of its own. The Blue Jays have been hit hard this season, especially in the starting rotation, and the 49ers have long dealt with similar stretches. San Francisco is already navigating a pile of injuries in training camp, including head coach Kyle Shanahan, who is recovering from a concussion suffered in a car crash in July.
Ponce is expected to be ready for spring training in 2027, and he’s projected to be a major part of Toronto’s rotation. That expectation has only grown with Kevin Gausman traded and the contracts of Shane Bieber and Max Scherzer set to expire at the end of the season.
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