Blow For White Sox As AL Home Run Leader Murakami Hits 10-Day IL
Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami is out 4-6 weeks with a strained right hamstring. The AL HR leader with 20 HR, 43 runs, 41 RBI was hurt vs Detroit on Friday.
“It's tough. Obviously, he makes a massive impact on our group, on and off the field...”
Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami is set for a spell on the sidelines. Manager Will Venable said Saturday the Japanese slugger will miss about four to six weeks with a hamstring injury.
The 26-year-old, who starred for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows over the last eight seasons before joining MLB, was put on the 10-day injured list due to a strained right hamstring.
“It hurts,” Murakami said through a translator.
“It's really disappointing at this point of the season to be injured, but there are a lot of ways to contribute to the team, like cheering on and other stuff. I'll keep doing that so that we can keep grinding as a team.”
Murakami picked up the injury in the 3rd inning of Chicago’s 4-3 win over Detroit on Friday. He reached second on a fielder’s choice groundout, then clutched his right hamstring while walking to the bag before exiting the game.
The White Sox sit 31-27 and second in the AL Central, just 2.5 games back of Cleveland. Left-handed hitter Murakami has been a big part of why Chicago is in contention this year.
Murakami signed a two-year, $34 million deal with the White Sox this offseason. He was tied with Houston’s Yordan Alvarez for the AL home run lead at 20, topped the league with 43 runs scored, and ranked second in the AL with 41 RBIs before the injury.
“It's tough. Obviously, he makes a massive impact on our group, on and off the field,” Venable said.
“He's someone that puts so much energy into his work and to other people. He's probably pretty down right now, knowing that's going to take a different form here over the next few weeks.”
Munetaka Murakami will miss 4-6 weeks with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. The strain happened during Friday night's game against the Detroit Tigers. pic.twitter.com/N0c8FvlSxS
— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) May 30, 2026
Chicago hasn’t had a winning record or made the postseason since 2021. In the last 20 years they’ve reached October just three times, and their last playoff series win was the 2005 World Series sweep of Houston.
Things looked bleak early when they started 6-13, but the White Sox have flipped it since. They’re 25-14 over their last 39 games.
“I never really thought about us being a losing team,” Murakami said. “It's always having that winning culture and going into games with that kind of mindset. We're here to win.”
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