Infielder Kazuma Okamoto is officially slated to suit up for Team Japan again at this year’s World Baseball Classic in March.

The country unveiled its official roster for the ’26 tournament on Monday, which included Okamoto, as well as seven other active MLB players — two-way superstar and back-to-back NL MVP winner Shohei Ohtani, reigning World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, former Blue Jay Yusei Kikuchi, Tomoyuki Sugano (currently a free agent), Yuki Matsui, Seiya Suzuki and Munetaka Murakami.

Japan announced 29 of the 30 roster spots, leaving the door open for a late addition before the WBC begins, which could mean adding another Japanese-born MLB player to the roster in the coming weeks.

Okamoto helped lead Team Japan to its WBC title victory in 2023, serving as a reliable source of offence throughout the event, slashing .333/.556/.722 with two home runs and seven RBIs across seven games.

The 29-year-old infielder, who signed a four-year, $60 million contract with Toronto earlier this off-season, expressed his desire to represent his country at this year’s tournament when the organization formally introduced him at the beginning of this month. But he also acknowledged that his inclusion still had to be discussed with the franchise.

Those conversations, of course, appear to have gone off without a hitch, now that Okamoto is officially set to return to Team Japan once the best-on-best showcase begins this spring.

Okamoto will become the seventh Blue Jays player to participate in the ’26 WBC, joining Alejandro Kirk (Mexico), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Dominican Republic), Ernie Clement (USA), José Berríos (Puerto Rico), Yariel Rodríguez (Cuba) and Leo Jiménez (Panama).

Team Japan is expected to face considerable competition in its title defence this spring, particularly from countries with strong rosters, such as the United States and the Dominican Republic.

Once the WBC concludes, Okamoto will likely assume an everyday role at third base for the Blue Jays during his inaugural campaign in North America, helping to fill the massive offensive void left by Bo Bichette’s departure to the New York Mets.