Okamoto continues raking, but Blue Jays seek contributions elsewhere, too

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays should be happy to take two of three games from any series at this point, but Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre was no grand finale.

Bullpen games, at their very best, can be a competitive advantage. Remember Game 4 of the ALDS against the Yankees? It may have been manager John Schneider’s finest day yet as a manager, and it’s what teams chase when they’re backed into the corner without a true starter.

Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the Angels is what it looks like when one piece of the plan goes wrong.

Here’s what else mattered from the finale:

1. HELP WANTED: The Okamoto Show

Stop me if you’ve read this before, but Kazuma Okamoto came up big in an RBI spot for the Blue Jays. At this point, it’s shocking when he doesn’t drive in the runners standing in scoring position.

Okamoto’s RBI double in the first inning got the Blue Jays on the board, and by now, this is not a matter of coincidence. Okamoto has a special ability to create offense from the cleanup spot, much like Edwin Encarnación, Joe Carter and other famous cleanup hitters have in this building over the years.

There’s a legitimate argument that Okamoto has been the most important player on the Blue Jays’ roster through the first 40 games of the season.

HR: 10 (1st, double the next-closest)
RBI: 26 (1st)
BB: 18 (2nd)

If Okamoto were sitting at a .680 OPS with three home runs at this point, no one would be shocked. Even with his tremendous talents, he’s still a player adjusting to a new league, new pitchers and new life outside of baseball. It’s always been expected that Okamoto would need time to settle in, then likely turn it on in the second half. What he’s doing through 40 games already exceeds all expectations, and has taken the spotlight off of so many issues this team is facing, from hitting with runners in scoring position to Vladdy’s power numbers.

“When you look back at the last three weeks, he’s been arguably our best hitter,” said Schneider. “He’s coming up with some timely hits, too. Today was another example in the first, two outs and two strikes. He’s getting it.”

Yes, it’s still early, but the four-year, $60 million deal the Blue Jays handed Okamoto has the potential to be one of the best moves this front office has ever made.

2. SPOTLIGHT ON: Sánchez

The easy answer for the Blue Jays’ lineup is a power surge from Vladimir Guerrero, but the likelier answer is a slight uptick in slugging from players like Jesús Sánchez.

When Sánchez came to the Blue Jays this spring in a trade for Joey Loperfido, so many of his metrics looked like Addison Barger’s, particularly his bat speed. This is why Sánchez felt like a dream project for the Blue Jays’ hitting coaches, but surprisingly, he’s taken his foot off the gas a bit with those big swings.

Sánchez average bat speed
2025: 75.9 mph
2026: 73.0 mph

“I think it’s natural for anyone, when you look up and see your average come down a little, to say, ‘Hey, let me get a couple of hits,’” Schneider said last week.

Sánchez is making a bit more contact than usual, but the Blue Jays aren’t looking for another singles hitter. Sánchez, as much as anyone on this roster, has the talent and raw power to hit a baseball 450 feet.

“He’s a guy where we don’t just want him to make contact,” Schneider said. “For him, I’d be happy with three really good swings throughout an at-bat. Swing through it if you need to and try to get something in the gap.”

3. THE LATEST: Addison Barger

One day after Barger returned to the Blue Jays from missing a month-plus with an ankle injury, he was scratched from the lineup with right elbow soreness.

This comes after Barger made the play of the night in Saturday’s win, a 101.2-mph throw from right field to double up the tagging runner at home. It was the hardest throw by an outfielder in Major League Baseball this season and the hardest tracked throw from a Blue Jays defender in the Statcast era (since 2015).

After Saturday’s game, though, Barger had a large ice wrap around his right elbow, similar to what you’d typically see from a pitcher.