TORONTO, CANADA – MARCH 29: Kazuma Okamoto #7 of the Toronto Blue Jays runs to the dugout after the eighth inning during their MLB game against the Athletics at Rogers Centre on March 29, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
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The Toronto Blue Jays are off to a good start following some big roster changes in the offseason.
After overhauling the pitching staff and shuffling the infield, the Blue Jays opened their campaign with a series sweep against the Athletics. And after the team parted ways with Bo Bichette, who was the chief running mate of franchise slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for seven seasons, his replacement has been a key part of the team’s early success.
“What a weekend for Kazuma Okamoto, the Japanese star who is taking over Toronto,” Keegan Matheson wrote for MLB.com. “Okamoto launched his first Major League home run in the fourth inning Sunday, a 420-foot shot to right-center field that just kept carrying and carrying. In a weekend that’s been full of reasons to celebrate as the Blue Jays swept the A’s with Sunday’s 5-2 win, this was one of the biggest yet in the Blue Jays’ dugout.”
Toronto Blue Jays Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr Seems To Have New Sidekick With Kazuma Okamoto
Though it has been a small sample size, Okamoto has been able to pick up where Bichette left off at the plate. In his first 12 at-bats, he logged four hits, two walks, a homer and an RBI — enough for a .333/.429/.583 slash line.
And there’s good reason to believe that his initial success will be sustainable. Okamoto signed his four-year, $60 million contract with the Blue Jays after being named a six-time All-Star in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league.
Plus, Okamoto isn’t just filling in for Bichette in the batter’s box. He has also evidently fostered a close relationship with Guerrero, making a bid to become his new sidekick in the Blue Jays’ infield.
“Typically, it’s Vladdy’s job to handle the Blue Jays’ home run jacket, but he handed that off to Jesús Sánchez, who’d just hit his first home run with the Blue Jays the inning prior,” Matheson added about Okamoto’s first homer. “Instead, Guerrero waited right by the on-deck circle, making sure he was the first man Okamoto saw after he touched home. The two hit their trademark handshake, slapping hands together and bowing, before Okamoto got to slide on the jacket for the very first time.”
Toronto Blue Jays’ $60 Million Star Kazuma Okamoto Sends Vladimir Guerrero Jr Message
As excited as Guerrero has been to embrace his new teammate in the wake of Bichette’s departure, Okamoto seems equally appreciative of the slugger’s welcome. Following Sunday’s game, he sent a five-word message on getting to know Guerrero through an interpreter:
“It’s been awesome so far,” Okamoto said, per an interview video relayed by Sportsnet.
Though the Japanese infielder is 29 years old and Guerrero is 27, Okamoto added that he sees the younger teammate as a kind of mentor.
“Vladdy is a guy I really look up to,” Okamoto said. “He’s been teaching me a lot and has taken me under his wing.”
The Blue Jays can hope that Okamoto continues to fill in for Bichette at the plate. In the meantime, he seems to be taking on the title of Guerrero’s new sidekick as well.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterchawaga/2026/03/31/blue-jays-new-60-million-star-sends-5-word-vladimir-guerrero-jr-message/
