White Sox general manager Chris Getz said rookie slugger Munetaka Murakami is expected to miss up to four weeks with a strained right hamstring after being injured Friday against the Tigers. The team placed him on the 10-day injured list as they chase momentum
By the time Miguel Vargas sent the game into the air in the 10th inning, the White Sox had already spent the night losing something they couldn’t afford to lose.
Murakami. a 26-year-old rookie sensation. injured a strained right hamstring while trying to beat out a double-play relay throw to first in the third inning of a 4-3 win against the Tigers at Rate Field on Friday. When the Sox finally walked it off with Vargas’ two-run homer in the 10th. it was a celebration with a shadow attached—because earlier in the same game. their star had gone down.
The Sox placed Murakami on the 10-day injured list. Getz said he expects the injury to keep the slugger out for about four weeks. “It looks like it’s probably going to be a four-weeker, which stinks,” Getz told the Sun-Times. He described the strain as “a light Grade 2 [strain].”
Getz watched the win while away from home on a scouting trip. and the timing of the injury still sat heavy. “I’ve had these games before, but not like last night,” he said. “A walk-off, but earlier in the game you lose your star player. So it’s like this mixed emotion of. ‘Man. we pulled that one out. but also. oh. wait. what happened earlier?’ ”.
What makes the absence especially difficult for Chicago is what Murakami has already produced. In 57 games, Murakami has hit 20 home runs—tied for the American League lead—along with 41 RBI, 44 walks, and a .938 OPS.
Getz also pointed to the broader injury grind around Major League Baseball. saying the Sox have been relatively fortunate compared with other teams. “Other teams have been bitten a little bit more across the league,” he said. “We’re playing one right now that’s had a lot of injuries. The Cubs also have had a lot of injuries. We’ve kept a lot of our productive players in the lineup.”.
Still, the team will have to absorb Murakami’s absence in the short term. Getz indicated he expects Murakami’s return to line up around the comeback of catcher Kyle Teel. “I think we’ll get him back right around [the return of catcher] Kyle Teel,” Getz said. “Hopefully, we’ll stay afloat and keep this interesting. But there’s no real time to sulk, right?. That’s not how you’ve got to go about this thing. But it’s a bummer.”.
Munetaka Murakami White Sox hamstring injury Chris Getz Kyle Teel Miguel Vargas Tigers injured list MLB