Munetaka Murakami is back! The White Sox first baseman is scheduled to return to the lineup Friday night after missing more than a month with a strained right hamstring, Yankee scores reports.
The Comeback Timeline
Murakami injured himself on May 29 in a 4-3 win against Detroit, holding his hamstring after beating out a fielder’s choice throw in the third inning.
He was diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain and placed on the 10-day injured list, with manager Will Venable initially estimating him to be out four-to-six weeks.
The 26-year-old fought his way back through two rehab appearances with Triple-A Charlotte, going 2 for 7 with a double.
Murakami will be in the starting lineup for the opener of Chicago’s weekend series against the Athletics, Venable said after Thursday’s 2-1 defeat to Boston.
According to ESPN, Manager Will Venable said, “He’s ready to go. Defensively he had a tremendously long game yesterday. So he’s ready to go, feels good about the workload, recovered well today.”
The #WhiteSox will have Munetaka Murakami back in the lineup tonight: https://t.co/rQJwpU1epo pic.twitter.com/UctbvpsNHG
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) July 10, 2026
What He Gives Back
Before the accident, Murakami was on pace for a historic rookie season, ranking among the major league leaders in homers (20), RBIs (41), runs (43) and OPS (.947).
The Japanese slugger inked a two-year, $34 million contract with Chicago in December.
The White Sox went 17-18 while he was on the injured list and the team has lost three in a row and six of eight entering the weekend.
Outfielder Andrew Benintendi thinks Murakami’s return might be just what the clubhouse needs right now.
Venable reiterated that notion. “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,” said Venable. “Real excited about him.”
Chicago was 47-45 and tied for the AL Central lead with Cleveland.
