The 2026 season is underway, and baseball news is abundant.
Here are some of the top stories in the MLB, including an injury in a pitcher’s long-awaited return to the mound, a visibility issue in Arizona and a record-tying performance for a Washington National.
Blue Jays’ Cody Ponce Carted Off Field
Monday marked Cody Ponce’s first MLB start in five years, and unfortunately, it could be his last for a while.
Ponce, who’d most recently pitched in Korea, hurt his right knee fielding a ground ball and was ultimately carted off the field, reports Mitch Bannon of The Athletic.
It’s possible he’d actually injured himself four plays before that, as he “fell on the mound when his cleat caught dirt while attempting to pitch,” Bannon reports.
“He got up and continued, but collapsed while trying to field a grounder just four pitches later,” Bannon wrote. “As Ponce left the field, the 31-year-old buried his head in his arm and screamed.”
D-backs Apologize for Ribbon Board Issue
Some Arizona Diamondback fans have complained that a new upgrade for Chase Field is blocking their view.
The newly installed ribbon boards are most affecting the front row of the upper deck, the Associated Press reports.
“We are well aware that the view has changed for ticket holders in the first row and are also not happy about it,” D-backs CEO Derrick Hall said in a statement. “We are working closely with them to relocate to an acceptable location. For some fans, the seats may be a partially obstructed view, but I clearly understand they previously were not and apologize. We had a similar situation years ago on the suite level when we first built its ribbon.”
Similar ribbon boards are being installed at Dodger Stadium after shipping delays, reports The Athletic‘s Fabian Ardaya.
Nats’ Wiemer Ties Record
Washington Nationals outfielder Joey Wiemer did something that’s only been accomplished once before in the last 75 years: reach base safely on his first 10 plate appearances of the season.
As reported by Jessica Camerato of MLB.com, Wiemer “tied Carlos Delgado for the most consecutive plate appearances (10) reaching safely to start a season since 1951.”
It took a successful challenge to keep Wiemer’s streak alive, but it did ultimately end later in that game when he grounded out in the fifth inning.
