Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto: Goes deep against Baltimore
Rotowire
Okamoto went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run during the Blue Jays' 6-5 win over the Orioles on Friday.
The Blue Jays couldn't figure out Trevor Rogers through the first six innings of Friday's game, but Okamoto propelled Toronto's comeback with a two-run homer off the veteran southpaw in the seventh inning. Okamoto has gone deep in two of his last three games and is up to 12 home runs on the season, which leads the Blue Jays and is 13th most in the American League.
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Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto: Ends homer drought
Rotowire
Okamoto went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Wednesday's win over the Marlins.
The MLB rookie took Andrew Nardi deep in the sixth inning for what proved to be the decisive run in a 2-1 victory. It was Okamoto's first long ball since May 5, snapping an 18-game power drought in which he'd hit just .156 (10-for-64) with five RBI. On the season, Okamoto's slashing .218/.302/.416 with 11 homers and 29 RBI in 54 contests as he continues to adjust to North American pitching.
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Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto: Resting Saturday
Rotowire
Okamoto isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Pirates.
Okamoto will get a chance to regroup Saturday after going 0-for-16 with 10 strikeouts in his last four games. Ernie Clement will slide to third base as a result, opening up second base for Lenyn Sosa.
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Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto: Getting breather Sunday
Rotowire
Okamoto is out of Toronto's starting lineup versus the Tigers on Sunday.
It's a rare rest day for Okamoto, who had started 44 of the Blue Jays' 45 games this season coming into Sunday. After beginning May with a 10-game hitting streak that included five homers, he's tailed off a bit of late, going 1-for-14 over his past four contests. Ernie Clement is starting at third base in Okamoto's stead Sunday.
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Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto: Extends hit streak to nine games
Rotowire
Okamoto went 1-for-4 with an RBI double during the Blue Jays' 6-1 loss to the Angels on Sunday.
Okamoto was responsible for the Blue Jays' lone run Sunday, with his double in the first inning bringing Daulton Varsho home. Okamoto has recorded at least one hit in nine consecutive games and has driven in at least one run in nine of his last 12 outings. In that 12-game span, he has gone 14-for-46 (.304) with five home runs, 15 RBI and eight runs scored.
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Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto: Homers again Tuesday
Rotowire
Okamoto went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Rays.
Okamoto wasted no time getting Toronto on the board, crushing a Drew Rasmussen four-seam fastball in the first inning for a 409-foot solo shot. Opposing pitchers continue to challenge the rookie with heaters, and he continues to make them pay, as he now owns a .654 slugging percentage against fastballs. The homer was his 10th of the season and his fifth in as many games, with the slugger going 8-for-21 with eight RBI during that stretch. Okamoto is now slashing .244/.327/.489 across 147 plate appearances.
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Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto: Drives in two runs Tuesday
Rotowire
Okamoto went 1-for-4 with a two-run single during the Blue Jays' 3-0 win over the Red Sox on Tuesday.
Okamoto put the Blue Jays on the board in the third inning, driving home two runs after smacking a single off Payton Tolle. After a slow start to his MLB career, Okamoto has looked more comfortable at the plate over his last 10 outings, going 10-for-34 (.294) with three home runs, nine RBI, seven runs scored and a 5:10 BB:K over that span.
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Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto: Getting comfortable in MLB
Rotowire
Okamoto went 2-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Friday's 8-6 loss to the Guardians.
The third baseman took Gavin Williams deep in the second inning, Okamoto's fourth homer of the season. While the 29-year-old's poor start has been magnified by the exploits of fellow Japanese rookie Munetaka Murakami with the White Sox, Okamoto is beginning to find his footing in North America, recording three multi-hit performances in the last six games while batting .333 (7-for-21) with a double, two homers, five runs and five RBI.
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Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto: Drives in three in win
Rotowire
Okamoto went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double, a walk, three RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 10-4 win over the Diamondbacks.
This was Okamoto's third multi-hit effort in his last six games, though he's also gone hitless six times over his last nine contests. The third baseman started the year with a six-game hitting streak, but that consistency has faded a bit. He's batting .221 with a .658 OPS, three homers, two doubles, eight RBI, seven runs scored and no stolen bases across his first 20 major-league contests. He was brought in as a power bat to fill a starting role at third base, and he's done that decently well so far, though his 8:29 BB:K is a notable concern in regards to plate discipline.
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Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto: Riding pine Saturday
Rotowire
Okamoto isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Minnesota.
Okamoto will get a chance to regroup Saturday after going 0-for-8 with a strikeout over his last two games. Ernie Clement will slide over to third base as a result, opening up the keystone for Davis Schneider.
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Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto: Game-winning run in MLB debut
Rotowire
Okamoto went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored during the Blue Jays' 3-2 win over the Athletics on Friday.
Okamoto took his first major-league base in the fifth inning with a walk before being brought home on a two-run triple by Andres Gimenez. Okamoto's single in the seventh was the first hit of his MLB career, and after getting on base again in the ninth, he crossed home as the game-winning run on a single from Gimenez. It was a promising start for Okamoto, who joined the Blue Jays on a four-year, $60 million contract in the offseason after a successful stint in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.
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Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto: Ready for first MLB Opening Day
Rotowire
Okamoto will be the Blue Jays' primary third baseman to begin the season, Gregor Chisholm and Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star report.
After signing a four-year, $60 million contract this offseason to take his talents to North America, Okamoto will have a significant role for Toronto in 2026. The 29-year-old appeared to adjust to his new environment quickly this spring, slashing .316/.435/.632 in 23 Grapefruit League plate appearances.
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Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto: Belts first spring homer
Rotowire
Okamoto went 1-for-2 with a two-run home run in the Blue Jays' Grapefruit League game against the Mets on Monday.
The 29-year-old slugger launched a Clay Holmes slow curve to straightaway center field in the second inning for his first long ball of the spring. Okamoto will leave camp soon to join Team Japan for the WBC, but he's making a good first impression this spring for the Jays. He's being counted on to fill a near-everyday role at third base during his first season in MLB.
