TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 1: Kazuma Okamoto #7 of the Toronto Blue Jays in the dugout ahead of their MLB game against the Colorado Rockies at Rogers Centre on April 1, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
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The Toronto Blue Jays have disappointed some fans by posting a losing record to start the season, just after reaching Game 7 of the World Series.
But perhaps an adjustment period can be expected for a team that underwent so many offseason changes.
The Blue Jays overhauled their pitching staff by bringing in Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce and Tyler Rogers, made some outfield depth changes and shuffled the infield. Long-time franchise shortstop Bo Bichette left for the New York Mets and the team moved Andres Gimenez into his old position while signing six-time Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star Kazuma Okamoto as well.
Though Okamoto has offered some highlights early in his transition to Major League Baseball, he has also endured some struggles in the first season of his four-year, $60 million contract.
“Through the early weeks of the season, we’ve seen it all from Okamoto, good and bad,” Keegan Matheson wrote for MLB.com. “He had some incredible moments during the opening homestand, which made it clear just how crucial he can be to this lineup when it’s all working. Since then, we’ve seen some of the struggles that can come on the other side of these adjustments.”
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Okamoto is slashing just .213/.294/.328 this season as he works to get more consistent against big-league pitchers. But his struggles are also noticeable in the field, where some metrics show he is performing below average at third base as he adjusts to harder-hit balls and a language barrier with Bichette’s replacement at shortstop.
“Okamoto is adjusting to playing deeper at third base and communicating with teammates who don’t speak the same first language,” Mitch Bannon wrote for The Athletic. “In Tuesday’s win over the Brewers, Okamoto ranged to his left and deflected a ball that shortstop Andrés Giménez appeared prepared to catch. The third baseman seemed to apologize to the shortstop after the game.”
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“We’re working on it,” Gimenez said, per Bannon. “We’re trying to find the right communication.”
As Gimenez, other teammates and Blue Jays staffers all work to communicate with their new Japanese teammate, and Okamoto adjusts to life in Canada and the U.S., things are likely to get smoother. That’s good news for Blue Jays fans, who are hoping to see the team’s losing ways turn around before too much longer.
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