Chicago placed Munetaka Murakami on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain after he left Friday’s game versus the Detroit Tigers in the third inning. Manager Will Venable expects a “couple of weeks,” and the White Sox recalled Jacob Gonzalez fro
Munetaka Murakami didn’t even make it past the third inning of Friday’s game against the Detroit Tigers before his night ended early—grabbing his right hamstring after beating a throw to first and then being ruled into a fielder’s choice. Luisangel Acuña pinch-ran for him, and by Saturday the diagnosis had turned into something more concrete.
Chicago placed the 26-year-old first baseman on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. White Sox manager Will Venable said the timetable is short but not immediate.
“It’s going to be a couple of weeks here,” Venable told Chicago Sports Network after the game. “It’s a hamstring strain. So we’ll continue to get him evaluated. Tomorrow we’re going to do some imaging, and we’ll see what we’ve got.”
For a team that has relied on Murakami’s production this season, the injury is a sudden jolt. Since arriving as the centerpiece of Chicago’s winter spending—signed in December to a two-year. $34 million contract—Murakami has become one of the White Sox’s most consistent threats. He is currently at 20 home runs. tied with Houston’s Yordan Alvarez for second place in the majors. trailing Kyle Schwarber’s 22 blasts.
Murakami’s impact doesn’t stop at the long ball. He is hitting .240 with a .378 on-base percentage and 41 RBIs in 57 games. His 44 walks rank fifth in the majors, a reminder that defenses can’t treat him like a pure one-swing power bat.
The timing of his IL placement means the White Sox needed an immediate replacement, and they turned to their minor-league system. To take Murakami’s roster spot, Chicago selected Jacob Gonzalez from triple-A Charlotte.
Gonzalez, 24, was Chicago’s first-round pick in 2022 and is listed as the organization’s No. 23 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. A left-handed-hitting middle infielder, he owned a .317/.419/.668 slash line with 19 home runs in 52 minor-league games this season.
The move doesn’t erase what Murakami has done, but it does underline what the next stretch will demand from Chicago’s lineup: while the team continues to evaluate his hamstring after imaging, Gonzalez is now the player being asked to step into a role built around Murakami’s bat.
Munetaka Murakami White Sox injured list hamstring strain Jacob Gonzalez triple-A Charlotte Luisangel Acuña Detroit Tigers Will Venable