The Unfortunate Protagonist Expelled from Korea in June Makes a 'Great Reversal' → Explosive with Double and RBI in MLB Return Game... Was He This Good All Along?

*This content was translated by AI.

Outfielder Daz Cameron (29, Toronto Blue Jays), who had been playing for the KBO League's Doosan Bears this season before receiving release notice, has finally returned to the Major League Baseball (MLB) stage. And in his return game, he hit a two-run double and celebrated.

On the 17th (Korea time), Cameron started at seventh spot in the batting order as left fielder for Toronto in their home game against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, during the 2026 MLB regular season. He went 1-for-4 with one RBI.

Toronto's starting lineup that day was: Brett Baty (right field), Charles McAdoo (first base), Alejandro Kirk (catcher), George Springer (designated hitter), Ernie Clement (second base), Kazuma Okamoto (third base), Daz Cameron (left field), Andres Gimenez (shortstop), and Miles Straw (center field). The starting pitcher was right-hander Dylan Cease.

In response, the Yankees set their lineup as: Ben Rice (first base), Luis Garcia (designated hitter), Elliott Ramos (left field), Trent Grisham (center field), Spencer Jones (right field), George Lombard Jr. (shortstop), Ryan McMahon (third base), Austin Wells (catcher), and Jose Caballero (second base). The starting pitcher was left-hander Ryan Weathers.

Cameron appeared as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the third inning, taking his first at-bat since returning to the U.S. stage. With a 2-2 count, he took a strikeout looking and had to wait for his next at-bat.

Then, with Toronto trailing 0-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning with one out and a runner on second base, Cameron stepped up for his second at-bat. He calmly drew two balls before attacking the third pitch, launching a two-run double that landed just inside the left-field line. During this play, runner Okamoto scored from second base. This was the moment Cameron recorded his first hit and first RBI since returning to MLB.

In his third at-bat of the seventh inning, Cameron drew three consecutive walks to gain a favorable count. The fourth pitch was a strike, the fifth was foul, and he fouled off the sixth. However, he grounded out to shortstop, swallowing his disappointment.

With the team trailing 3-4 in the bottom of the tenth inning of extra innings, Cameron led off again but hit the first pitch into a ground ball to first base, ending his day at bat. Ultimately, Toronto managed to get a runner on first and third with one out thanks to an infield single by Gimenez, but the next two batters made outs, and Toronto lost 3-4.

Meanwhile, Cameron was selected in the first round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros and made his debut with the Detroit Tigers in 2020. After spending time on the big leagues from 2020 to 2022 and again from 2024 to 2025, Cameron signed with Doosan ahead of this season to play in Korea under a one-year contract worth $1 million.

Before coming to Korea, Cameron played 160 games over five MLB seasons, posting a .200 batting average (87 hits in 435 at-bats), 11 home runs, 42 RBIs, 15 stolen bases, and an OPS of 0.585. In the Triple-A level during the 2025 season, he played 65 games with a .282 batting average, 18 home runs, and 57 RBIs.

In this season's KBO League, Cameron appeared in 75 games, recording a .287 batting average (80 hits in 279 at-bats), 9 home runs, 19 doubles, 3 triples, 43 RBIs, 39 runs scored, 9 stolen bases (0 caught stealing), 30 walks, 3 hit-by-pitches, 53 strikeouts, a .473 slugging percentage, a .360 on-base percentage, and an OPS of 0.833. His batting average with runners in scoring position was .244. As a pinch hitter, he batted .500. However, in his last 10 games before receiving release notice, he struggled with a .206 batting average.

While Cameron briefly faltered, outfielders Kim Min-seok and Ryu Seung-min emerged at Doosan, earning the manager's full confidence. Ultimately, on June 29, Doosan made the decision to release Cameron.

After returning to the U.S., Cameron signed a minor league contract with Toronto last month. After posting strong numbers in 23 Triple-A games — .367 batting average, 3 home runs, 15 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, 15 runs scored, and an OPS of 1.044 — he was called up to the big leagues the previous day (the 16th) when Toronto superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. suffered an injury. The following day, on the 17th, he started in the lineup, recorded his first hit and RBI since returning, and proved his worth.

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*This content was translated by AI.