Kazuma Okamoto
Kazuma Okamoto is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. He has previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Yomiuri Giants from 2015 until moving to North America in 2026.
Professional career
Yomiuri Giants
Okamoto made his Nippon Professional Baseball debut with the Yomiuri Giants in 2015. He was selected as an NPB all-star six times, and was named the Central League Climax Series MVP in 2019. In 2020, he led the Central League in home runs and runs batted in.His nickname, "The Young General", was given to him and was adapted from his former manager, Tatsunori Hara.
During the 2025 Nippon Professional Baseball season, Okamoto only played 69 games and hit 15 home runs, missing half the games after an elbow injury from colliding with another player. Before that, from 2018-2024, he had consistently hit 25 homers or more. Okamoto has also led his league in home runs in three seasons.
Toronto Blue Jays
During the 2025-26 offseason, the Giants posted Okamoto to Major League Baseball. On January 4, 2026, the Toronto Blue Jays signed Okamoto to a four-year, $60 million contract. During his introductory press conference, Okamoto said that in addition to Toronto being title contenders as a reason for signing, he had asked his daughter to choose her favourite logo from among all the MLB teams and she had picked out the Jays logo.International career
Okamoto is also a member of the Japan national baseball team, and has participated in the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series and the 2019 exhibition games against Mexico.At the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Okamoto was a key part of Japan's championship win, scoring two runs and hitting a solo home run in the final against the Americans.