Blue Jays’ Kazuma Okamoto to play for Japan at World Baseball Classic

Kazuma Okamoto will be back in the heart of Japan’s order at the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

Some other notable big-leaguers announced to the roster were Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Munetaka Murakami, Yusei Kikuchi and Seiya Suzuki.

Okamoto, signed by the Blue Jays on a four-year, $60-million contract in early January, had emerged as one of the top power threats for the Yomiuri Giants in Nippon Professional Baseball before deciding to make the move to MLB.

The 29-year-old infielder played in just 69 games for the Giants due to an elbow injury in 2025, but still managed to crank 15 homers while slashing .327/.416/.598.

He was a key part of Japan’s World Baseball Classic victory in 2023, posting a 1.278 OPS with two longballs in the tournament, including one against the United States in the championship game.

Okamoto will be one of many Blue Jays taking part in this year’s Classic.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Dominican Republic), Alejandro Kirk (Mexico), José Berríos (Puerto Rico), Cody Ponce (Mexico), Adam Macko (Canada), Leo Jimenez (Panama), Yariel Rodriguez (Cuba) and Ernie Clement (United States) have all either committed to play or have stated their interest in playing for their countries.

Okamoto and Japan will host Pool C play at the Tokyo Dome, where the reigning champs will look to finish top two in the group, rounded out by Australia, Czechia, Chinese Taipei, and Korea. The top two finishers in round-robin action will advance to the quarterfinals hosted in Miami.

Pool C begins play on March 5.