Cody Ponce will earn $11 million from the Blue Jays in 2027, and Toronto badly needs a return on it. The right-hander made just one appearance this season.

His Blue Jays debut on March 30 against the Rockies ended in the third inning, when he went down with a torn ACL.

He underwent surgery and missed the rest of the year. In late September, MLB.com reported he had begun throwing and would be “fully cleared for 2027 Spring Training.”

Ponce turns 33 in April. He's entering the second year of a three-year, $30 million deal.

The signing looked like a coup at the time. He arrived as the KBO MVP after going 17-1 with a 1.89 ERA.

He struck out 252 batters over 180.2 innings that season. Toronto paid for that version.

Cody Ponce's KBO dominance has to translate in Toronto

Can he still be that pitcher? Nobody knows yet.

A second-round pick in 2015, he spent his first two MLB seasons with the Pirates before reinventing himself overseas.

That reinvention is what the Jays bet on. Now he has to show it survived a major knee injury.

The rotation needs him. He projects behind Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage and José Soriano, with Spencer Arrighetti also in the mix.

Toronto can't count on Ponce as a sure thing. The front office should still add at least one proven starter, because banking on a pitcher returning from an ACL tear is exactly how 2026 went sideways.

Ponce is like a new car that spent its first year in the body shop. The engine might still purr, but you don't know until you drive it.

If he's healthy, he could be a bargain. If not, he could become a swingman, a role that might suit him anyway.

The Jays were officially eliminated on Sept. 23, one year after reaching Game 7. Whether 2027 looks different could depend on players like Ponce finally taking the mound.