Ponce has signed with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, Yahoo Japan reports.
Ponce had spent the previous two seasons with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, collecting a 3.70 ERA and 135:45 K:BB across 172.2 frames. The 29-year-old last appeared in the majors in 2021.
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Cody Ponce: Bound for Japan
Rotowire
Ponce was released Tuesday to sign with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Ponce is still just 27 years old, so it's possible he has success overseas and returns stateside in a few years as a more interesting pitcher. He hasn't shown much thus far in 55.1 innings at the highest level, striking out a modest 19.6 percent of opposing batters en route to a 5.86 ERA.
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Pirates' Cody Ponce: Recalled by Pirates
Rotowire
Ponce was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.
Ponce was sent down in mid-August, and he made four appearances at Triple-A Indianapolis since then. He posted a 1.13 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in eight innings during that time, and he'll be available as a low-leverage reliever with the major-league club.
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Pirates' Cody Ponce: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Ponce was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Ponce made five appearances after he was called up by the Pirates in late July, and he posted a 6.23 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 13 innings during that time. He was also charged with his third loss of the season Tuesday and will now head back to the minors.
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Pirates' Cody Ponce: Struggles in relief
Rotowire
Ponce (0-3) was tagged with the loss Tuesday against the Dodgers after allowing two runs on two hits and a walk while fanning two across two innings.
Ponce entered the contest in the fifth inning but wasn't effective, and as a result, he picked up his third loss of the campaign. The right-hander has given up runs in all but two of his outings this season and has allowed at least two runs in three of his last four appearances. Those struggles translate to a ballooned 8.34 ERA across 22.2 innings on the year.
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Pirates' Cody Ponce: Mops up in blowout loss
Rotowire
Ponce tossed five scoreless frames in long relief in Tuesday's 9-0 loss to the Brewers, scattering three hits and a walk while striking out five.
Though Luis Oviedo picked up the start when Tyler Anderson was scratched ahead of the contest and later traded to the Mariners, Ponce essentially stepped into the rotation in Anderson's stead. Unfortunately, with Oviedo putting the Pirates in an 8-0 hole after two innings, Ponce's excellent outing was wasted. The Pirates could still elect to option Ponce to Triple-A Indianapolis in order to get a fresh arm for the bullpen heading into the weekend, but the right-hander put himself in good position to re-enter the rotation the next time a fifth starter is needed.
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Pirates' Cody Ponce: Recalled from minors
Rotowire
The Pirates recalled Ponce from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
The righty has appeared in three minor-league games since being optioned July 4, allowing six runs and striking out 11 batters in 13 innings. He most recently pitched six innings July 22, so he could be a candidate to start Tuesday's game for the Pirates after Tyler Anderson was scratched.
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Pirates' Cody Ponce: Sent to minors
Rotowire
Ponce (arm) was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Sunday.
The right-hander was tagged for five runs over 1.2 innings during Saturday's start before being pulled with arm soreness, but it's apparently a minor injury since he was sent to the minors rather than the injured list. Ponce has struggled in three big-league outings this season, surrendering 12 earned runs on 21 hits across 9.2 frames.
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Pirates' Cody Ponce: Dealing with arm soreness
Rotowire
Ponce was removed from Saturday's game against the Brewers due to right arm soreness, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.
Ponce gave up five runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three in 1.2 innings to take the loss against Milwaukee on Saturday, although the soreness in his throwing arm may have contributed to his struggles. It's not yet clear whether the 27-year-old will be forced to miss his next turn through the rotation due to the injury, but he tentatively lines up to start on the road against the Mets on Friday if he's healthy enough to pitch.
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Pirates' Cody Ponce: Exits with apparent injury
Rotowire
Ponce exited Saturday's game against the Brewers with an apparent injury in the top of the second inning, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Ponce was hit hard early in Saturday's start, as he allowed five runs on six hits and three walks while striking out three in 1.2 innings. The team's trainers apparently saw something that prompted a visit, and the right-hander was removed from the game with two outs in the inning. The nature of his injury isn't yet clear, and whether he misses any additional time remains to be seen. If he's cleared to pitch, Ponce tentatively lines up to start Friday on the road against the Mets.
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Pirates' Cody Ponce: Confirmed as Saturday's starter
Rotowire
The Pirates confirmed that Ponce would start Saturday's game against the Brewers, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Ponce will be making his second start of 2021 against the organization that drafted him in 2015. The 27-year-old right-hander is stepping into the Pirates' six-man rotation as a replacement for rookie Max Kranick, who was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis earlier this week. Over 25 career big-league innings, Ponce has posted a 4.68 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 10.6 K-BB%.
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Pirates' Cody Ponce: Recalled by Pirates
Rotowire
Ponce was recalled by the Pirates on Monday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Ponce made his season debut as a starter May 25, and he allowed four runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out two in five innings. He spent just over a month in the minors but will now return to the big-league roster after Max Kranick was sent down in a corresponding move. If Ponce serves as a starter for Pittsburgh, he could tentatively line up to start Saturday's home game against the Brewers.
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Pirates' Cody Ponce: Sent down Wednesday
Rotowire
Ponce was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday.
Ponce made his season debut against the Cubs on Tuesday and allowed four runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out two in five innings. The right-hander won't make another turn through the rotation since Chad Kuhl (shoulder) could be activated from the 10-day injured list Sunday. Right-hander Nick Mears was recalled in a corresponding move.
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Pirates' Cody Ponce: Takes loss in season debut
Rotowire
Ponce (0-1) was charged with the loss Tuesday versus the Cubs after surrendering four runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and one walk across five innings.
The 27-year-old limited Chicago to a solo homer from Joc Pederson through four frames, but he allowed three more runs during the fifth inning, including another home run from Pederson. Ponce may not receive another turn through the starting rotation with Trevor Cahill (calf) not expected to spend much time on the injured list.
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Pirates' Cody Ponce: Announced as Tuesday's starter
Rotowire
The Pirates recalled Ponce from Triple-A Indianapolis ahead of his scheduled start Tuesday against the Cubs, Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Pittsburgh will announce a corresponding roster move closer to the game's 5:35 p.m. ET opening pitch. Ponce will be making his 2021 debut Tuesday, entering the Pittsburgh rotation as a replacement for the injured Trevor Cahill (calf). The 27-year-old right-hander made five appearances (three starts) in his inaugural season in the big leagues in 2020, going 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 17 innings.
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Pirates' Cody Ponce: Starting Tuesday
Rotowire
Ponce is expected to be called up to start Tuesday against the Cubs, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Ponce made his big-league debut last season, making three starts and two relief appearances. His 3.18 ERA in 17 innings came with a 6.66 FIP, as he allowed five homers and produced an unconvincing 12:6 K:BB. He has a 5.40 ERA through two starts and one relief appearance at the Triple-A level this year.
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Pirates' Cody Ponce: Could make spot start
Rotowire
General manager Ben Cherington mentioned Ponce as a possible replacement starter for the injured Trevor Cahill, 93.7 The Fan Pittsburgh reports.
Speaking during his Sunday radio show, Cherington said that Ponce did a nice job for the team last year. "His last outing was sharp and his velo's back," Cherington said. "He's another guy we see as part of that starting pitching depth." Ponce is already listed on the team's 40-man roster. He allowed two runs in four innings in his last Triple-A start on May 19. Miguel Yajure is also a candidate to start Tuesday at home against the Cubs.
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Pirates' Cody Ponce: Activated and optioned
Rotowire
The Pirates activated Ponce (forearm) from the 10-day injured list Sunday and optioned him to their alternate site.
Now that he's healthy again, Ponce will likely be one of the top candidates to enter the Pittsburgh rotation should the Pirates opt to replace any of their struggling starters. Ponce made five appearances (three starts) as a rookie for Pittsburgh in 2020, giving up six earned runs on 12 hits and six walks while striking out 12 in 17 innings.
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Pirates' Cody Ponce: Sim game scheduled
Rotowire
General manager Ben Cherington said Ponce (forearm) is scheduled to pitch a three-inning simulated game this week at the Pirates' alternate site, Jake Crouse of MLB.com reports.
The Pirates plan to have Ponce get stretched out for starting duty, so expect him to complete at least two or three simulated games before being cleared to return from the forearm injury that he sustained late in spring training. Since Ponce still has minor-league options remaining, the Pirates could elect to send him to Triple-A Indianapolis once he's healthy if the organization is satisfied with its existing rotation options.
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Pirates' Cody Ponce: Sim game on tap
Rotowire
Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that he expects Pence (forearm) to pitch in a simulated game within the next few days, Jake Crouse of MLB.com reports.
Pence appears ready to move on to the next phase of his rehab after completing three side sessions over the past week. He'll need at least a couple of simulated games to build up his pitch count, but once ready to return from the injured list, Ponce could give the Pirates another a depth option in the rotation.
