CHICAGO (AP) — Munetaka Murakami is expected to be back in the Chicago White Sox lineup Friday evening, ending his stint on the injured list due to a strained right hamstring.
The 26-year-old completed two rehabilitation appearances with Triple-A Charlotte, collecting two hits in seven at-bats, including a double. After Chicago dropped a 2-1 decision to Boston on Thursday, White Sox manager Will Venable confirmed that Murakami would be penciled into the starting lineup for the first game of the team’s weekend series against the Athletics.
“He’s ready to go,” Venable said. “He was challenged running the bases, defensively, had a really long game yesterday. So feel good about the workload, recovered well today so he’s ready to go.”
Murakami originally suffered the injury on May 29 during a 4-3 win over the Detroit Tigers, clutching his right hamstring after hustling to beat a throw to first base on a fielder’s choice in the third inning. Before going down, the Japanese rookie had put up impressive numbers, ranking among the major league leaders with 20 home runs, 41 RBIs, 43 runs scored, and a .947 OPS.
The timing of Murakami’s return is significant, as Chicago (47-45) finds itself in a near-deadlock with Cleveland (48-46) atop the AL Central standings. However, the White Sox have been struggling, dropping three straight and six of their past eight contests. During their just-completed three-game series with Boston, they mustered only two runs and 15 total hits.
White Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi made clear just how important Murakami’s comeback is for the club.
“Obviously, he’s a presence in the lineup,” Benintendi said. “He’ll bring the energy, I think. It seems like the vibe in here is kind of down right now but I’m sure seeing him tomorrow will spark it back up.”
Murakami signed a two-year, $34 million deal with Chicago back in December. During the stretch he spent on the injured list, the White Sox went 17-18.
“We understand the impact he makes on the field and in the clubhouse so to activate him is going to mean a lot for our group,” Venable added. “Really excited about him.”
