Toronto Blue Jays announce Cody Ponce and Tyler Rogers jersey numbers

According to recent reports, right-hander Cody Ponce will wear 37, and right-hander Tyler Rogers will wear 71. It's the kind of tiny detail that feels meaningless, until you realize it's how spring training becomes real.

For Ponce, 37 fits because he's already being treated like more than a camp arm. Toronto gave him three years and $30 million after his monster KBO season, and MLB.com lists him as Blue Jays #37 with a 1-7 MLB line over 55.1 innings.

That overseas spike was ridiculous, 17-1 with a 1.89 ERA and a KBO-record 252 strikeouts, and both MLB.com and Sportsnet match those headline numbers. If he's even a mid-rotation version of that, 37 will show up a lot.

The same post notes 37 was last associated with Steward Berroa during his 2024 Blue Jays debut, and ESPN's 2024 splits page still tags Berroa as Blue Jays #37. Berroa has since moved on, but the number is now back in rotation.

Rogers wearing 71 is the one that will pop from the cheap seats, especially for a submariner. Toronto signed him for three years and $37 million, and he's coming off a 1.98 ERA season over 81 appearances, a line backed by MLB.com and Reuters.

Rogers has been a high-number guy for years, and FanGraphs even did a whole piece on his unusual choice back when he was baffling hitters in San Francisco. It also happens that Blue Jays fans have seen 71 before, with T.J. Zeuch wearing it during his 2019 debut run.

In practical terms, this stuff matters once games start and you're trying to ID pitchers from a weird camera angle. The next milestone is simple, seeing 37 and 71 show up in Grapefruit League box scores, then finding out which one actually sticks in the big spots.