Kazuma Okamoto set to make Blue Jays debut Saturday in exhibition vs. Phillies

Toronto Blue Jays' Kazuma Okamoto, right, is congratulated by Andrés Giménez after hitting a long home run in batting practice at Spring Training in Dunedin, Fla., on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Kazuma Okamoto will don a Toronto Blue Jays jersey in a competitive baseball game for the first time on Saturday.

Okamoto, like Toronto’s entire infield, will be playing in the World Baseball Classic in March, forcing Blue Jays manager John Schneider to get him into the lineup as quickly as possible, including the team’s Grapefruit League home opener.

“I’d like for him to play on Saturday and that’s kind of the plan we’ve talked about with our medical staff,” said Schneider on Feb. 14. “With all these guys that are going to WBC, we’ll try to get four or five games in before before they leave again.”

The Blue Jays host the Philadelphia Phillies at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Fla., on Saturday in the first exhibition game of the year for both teams. Long reliever Eric Lauer is scheduled to start for Toronto.

Typically, players like Okamoto who are guaranteed to make a team’s big league roster are used sparingly to start exhibition play in the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues, but the WBC will speed that timeline up.

Okamoto, who plays third base and right field, will take the field for Japan in the international tournament. He signed a four-year US$60-million deal with Toronto on Jan. 4 after spending his entire 11-year career with the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball.

He’s a career .277 hitter with 248 home runs, 717 runs batted in and a .521 slugging percentage. He also led the NPB in home runs three times.

“In talking to him, it’s been a pretty normal ramp up off-season,” said Schneider of Okamoto. “With the WBC, obviously, you kind of have a little bit of a countdown for that, making sure that he’s comfortable here, with his teammates, with his work, with all that stuff.”

Superstar first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., will play for the Dominican Republic, catcher Alejandro Kirk will backstop Mexico, shortstop Andres Gimenez will represent Venezuela, infielder Leo Jimenez will suit up for Panama, and utility man Ernie Clement joins the United States.

Schneider was asked earlier in camp if he was nervous about having so many key players competing in the tournament.

“I’d be lying if I said no,” chucked Schneider on Feb. 13. “I think it’s a great event. I think it’s a great thing, and it’s gotten a whole lot more popular each time it comes into play. I think it’s great the guys are representing their countries.

“But me as a manager, I get kind of paranoid about getting in touch with the managers of the teams and making sure they’re using them the right way.”

Okamoto will join his Japanese teammates toward the end of February and Kirk is scheduled to leave for the Mexican camp on March 1. Toronto has nine exhibition games before March 1, including two split-squad games on Feb. 28.

Given that Schneider has said he wants all of his WBC players to get four or five games in before they leave for their international teams, they’ll all have to play in half the games in the first week of the Grapefruit League season. Schneider confirmed on Thursday that Okamoto will start on Saturday and likely Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Kirk pulled out of the 2023 WBC after the birth of his daughter in February of that year.

“It means a lot to me,” said Kirk through translator Hector Lebron. “I couldn’t represent Mexico on the last WBC.

“The WBC, for me, is one of the best events in baseball so I’m very excited to represent Mexico.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 20, 2026.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press