Toronto Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto to play in World Baseball Classic

The Toronto Blue Jays' marquee offseason acquisition will represent his home country after being named to Samurai Japan's roster on Monday.

Manager Hirokazu Ibata confirmed the 29-player squad, which features several of Japan's biggest baseball stars.

Among the notable major leaguers selected to Japan's roster are Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Munetaka Murakami, Yusei Kikuchi, and Seiya Suzuki.

Okamoto, who signed a four-year, $60 million deal with the Blue Jays in early January, had established himself as one of Nippon Professional Baseball's premier power hitters during his time with the Yomiuri Giants before making the jump to MLB.

Okamoto, 29, was limited to just 69 games in 2025 due to an elbow injury, but remained highly productive, launching 15 home runs while posting an impressive .327/.416/.598 slash line.

Okamoto also played a pivotal role in Japan's championship run at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, recording a 1.278 OPS with two home runs, including a memorable blast against the United States in the final.

Okamoto is expected to be one of several Blue Jays participating in this year's World Baseball Classic.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Dominican Republic), Alejandro Kirk (Mexico), José Berrios (Puerto Rico), Cody Ponce (Mexico), Adam Macko (Canada), Leo Jimenez (Panama), Yariel Rodriguez (Cuba), and Ernie Clement (United States) have either committed or expressed interest in representing their respective nations.

Japan will host Pool C action at the Tokyo Dome, where the defending champions will compete against Australia, Czechia, Chinese Taipei, and Korea.

The top two teams from the round-robin group will advance to the quarterfinals in Miami.

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