Kazuma Okamoto will man third base and bat seventh in his Major League debut on Friday as the Toronto Blue Jays open the 2026 season against the Athletics.
Okamoto, 29, signed a four-year, $60 million deal with the Blue Jays after being posted by the Yomiuri Giants of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league, where he earned six All-Star nods, three home runs titles, and two Gold Gloves.
Designated hitter George Springer assumes his usual spot leading off for the defending American League champions, with left fielder Nathan Lukes hitting second and 2026 ALCS MVP Vladimir Guerrero batting third and playing first base.
Right fielder Addison Barger, fresh off of a breakout sophomore season that saw him hit 21 home runs with 74 runs batted in, will hit cleanup behind those three, with catcher Alejandro Kirk and centre fielder Daulton Varsho to follow.
Postseason hero Ernie Clement is playing second base and hitting eighth following Okamoto, while shortstop Andres Gimenez rounds out the order for the Blue Jays.
Newly-acquired outfielder Jesus Sanchez did not crack Toronto’s Opening Day lineup, and will be joined on the bench by Davis Schneider, Myles Straw and Tyler Heineman.
🚨 OUR FIRST LINEUP OF 2026 🚨 #BlueJays50 pic.twitter.com/kJ85cuJzCr
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) March 27, 2026
Kevin Gausman will make his first season-opening start for the Blue Jays since signing with the team ahead of the 2022 season.
Gausman, 35, pitched to a 3.59 earned-run average in a career-high 192.0 innings pitched last season, racking up 189 strikeouts to just 50 walks.
The A’s will counter with veteran right-hander Luis Severino, who struggled to the tune of a 4.54 ERA and 1.303 WHIP in his first season with the organization.
The Blue Jays open their 50th season in franchise history with a three-game weekend set against the A’s, before welcoming the Colorado Rockies to town to begin next week.
