Back to .500 once more, the Blue Jays finally have another opportunity to get their heads back above water. This team hasn’t had a winning record since April 3, but with most of their injury woes behind them and some momentum coming out of Monday’s 4-2 win over the Astros at Rogers Centre, why not tomorrow? This is what mattered most from the win, which opened a 10-game homestand: **1\. Okamoto’s All-Star campaign** Where would the Blue Jays be without Kazuma Okamoto? The Japanese star launched his 17th home run of the season Monday, putting him on pace for 35-plus in his rookie year. That falls right in line with his numbers in NPB with the Yomiuri Giants, and it’s already established Okamoto as a fan favorite in Canada, which showed up in the most recent All-Star Game voting update for AL third basemen. **Vote count:** **1\. Junior Caminero, Rays: 1,310,879** **2\. Kazuma Okamoto, Blue Jays: 1,282,884** Later in the game, it was Okamoto’s double that moved Daulton Varsho to third, setting him up to score the go-ahead run on Myles Straw’s sacrifice fly. With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. still searching for offensive production, Okamoto has become the engine of this lineup. Like his manager, though, Okamoto wasn’t eager to celebrate .500. “On to tomorrow,” he said through interpreter Yusuke Oshima. “I can’t wait to get back on the field.” We’re watching a best-case outcome for Okamoto in his first MLB season. Back in spring, it still felt like the likeliest path for Okamoto in 2026 would be a slow start with only flashes of his power, slowly heating up as the year dragged on and he grew more comfortable with big league pitching. Instead, he’s looked right at home. Sure, it’s his first time seeing most of these pitchers, but it’s also the first time most of them have pitched to Okamoto. That’s a small gap in All-Star voting, too. This is the same fan base that has Ernie Clement as the top vote-getter in the American League, trailing only the great Shohei Ohtani league-wide. Phase 1 of the voting concludes Thursday at noon ET. Beyond the two leading overall vote-getters, the top two vote-getters at every position and the top six outfielders will advance to Phase 2 of the voting, which begins on June 29.
