Stewart was considered one of the top prospects for the2018 Major League Baseball draft,[5][6] and was drafted by theAtlanta Braves with the eighth overall pick.[7] Due to a wrist injury, Atlanta offered a signing bonus below the full value of the draft slot,[8] and Stewart did not sign with the Braves.[9][10]
On May 21, 2019, sports websiteThe Athletic reported that Stewart agreed to contract terms with theFukuoka SoftBank Hawks ofNippon Professional Baseball (NPB).[13] On May 30, the Hawks officially announced that Stewart had agreed to and signed a six-year contract that guarantees him as much as $7 million.[14]
In the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Stewart pitched in theWestern League of NPB's minor leagues and also in unofficial games againstShikoku Island League Plus's teams.
On April 17, 2021, Stewart made his NPB debut in the ninth inning of a game against theSaitama Seibu Lions.[15] He struck out two batters, walked one, and hisfastball was measured at 94 miles per hour.[16] In 2022, Stewart didn't get a chance to pitch for the Hawks in the Pacific League and spent the season with their farm team in the Western League.
On July 26, 2023, Stewart earned his first NPB win after tossing six scoreless innings in a 7–1 victory over theOrix Buffaloes.[17] In 2023, he appeared in 14 games for the Hawks, posting a 3–6 win–loss record, 3.38 ERA, and 67 strikeouts across77+1⁄3 innings. Stewart also pitched as a starter in Game 1 of the first stage of the2023 Pacific League Climax Series.[18]
On December 15, 2023, Stewart signed a two–year, $10 million contract extension with the Hawks.[19] Stewart made 20 appearances for Fukuoka during the 2024 campaign, compiling a 9-4 record and 1.95 ERA with 105 strikeouts over 120 innings of work.
Stewart missed the start of the 2025 season with a left abdominal muscle strain.[20] He did not appear for the team during the regular season, but won the2025 Japan Series with the club.[21]
^"【ソフトバンク】スチュワートは長期離脱か 米国に帰国して左腹直筋の検査" [[SoftBank] Stewart is out for a long time or returns to the United States to test for left abdominal straight muscle].Yahoo Sports (in Japanese). Wayback Machine: The Hochi Shimbun. Hochi Shimbun. April 8, 2025. Archived fromthe original on April 8, 2025. RetrievedAugust 5, 2025.
