Blue Jays' newest Japanese star is now turning heads following a slow start to 2026

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May 17, 2026 - 15:13

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Blue Jays' newest Japanese star is now turning heads following a slow start to 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The American League is a really wonky conference in Major League Baseball this season, as not many teams have been able to keep up. The Toronto Blue Jays were one of those teams for a good amount of this short season, and recently, things have gotten very dire up north.

But, there is a little bit of good news, as one of their most anticipated bats has finally decided to wake up. Kazuma Okamoto, the 29-year-old third baseman who is making his rookie run through the Majors, was really struggling to open the season. But that seems like it is behind him now.

He is drawing so much attention, Bleacher Report's Thomas Harrigan named him as one of the nine most surprising MLB players so far this season.

With 10 home runs, eight of those being since April 18, Okamoto has turned things around quickly. He now leads the team in OPS at .785, and his 1.0 WAR is tied for the team lead with catcher Brandon Valenzuela.

The Blue Jays sit 9.5 games back of the AL East leaders, the Tampa Bay Rays, and they are falling behind quickly. With only five wins in their last 14 games, some changes need to be made, and fast.

If not, the efforts of Okamoto are goiing to be for naught this season, and the newest star in the influx of Japanese-born MLB players will fall behind the rest. Can Okamoto continue to produce solid numbers, and aid his team to victory?