CLEVELAND -- The City of Charlotte and Truist Field, home of the White Sox Triple-A affiliate, will have Tuesday night liftoff courtesy of Munetaka Murakami.
Murakami left Monday to join the Knights for a rehab assignment, after the first baseman passed two days’ worth of final baserunning tests in Cleveland. Murakami has been on the injured list with a Grade 2 right hamstring strain since suffering the injury while beating out a potential double play on May 29 at home against the Tigers.
“I’m just really happy I’m able to get back to playing baseball,” Murakami told reporters Sunday through interpreter Kenzo Yagi, thanking the White Sox training staff and organization for helping him get healthy. “I’ve had great preparation along the way in ramping up, so I feel good.
“I think I’m at 99 percent. The last road is to play in the Minors and then get ready for being back on the field.”
Murakami has remained a part of the White Sox during his absence. But seeing his 20 home runs and .938 OPS through 57 games back in the lineup will be a welcome addition for the club’s postseason push. And it could happen by this weekend’s home series against the Athletics, marking the final three games before the All-Star break.
“There’s a possibility that he plays for us before the break, for sure,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “We need him back obviously on the field, but just his presence, it means so much to have him in the lineup, what that does for you.
“I remember what it meant to have Adrián González in the lineup. When you have a guy like that in your lineup, everyone has a little more confidence in your ability to win that game. His presence in the hitter’s meetings, just his presence in being active and part of the group is significant. Really excited by the potential to have him back even beyond his performance on the field.”
There’s a week’s worth of games mapped out for Murakami’s injury rehab, according to Venable. It doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll play all those games.
“We want to be really mindful of the injury, the significance of it and the buildup,” Venable said. “You build in a plan but certainly if it goes well, he’s recovering well, feeling good, it doesn’t have to play out every single game.
“So, it’s kind of day to day as far as you get into it. I would assume that [he plays in a] couple of games, at least, and we’ll see how it goes.”
Charlotte plays host to Nashville for five night games and a Sunday afternoon contest before going on its All-Star break. Truist Field is known as a hitter’s park, with one pitcher who threw there for the White Sox joking how the ERAs should be dropped by one point after working there.
Teammates already have started teasing Murakami about hitting five home runs in his first game at Truist. But the work and Murakami’s return are more important than any tape measure home runs.
“It’s been really hard for him. We’ve talked about having a hard injury where you miss a long amount of time,” said White Sox starter Davis Martin, who missed the ‘23 season and all but 11 appearances in ‘24 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. “He’s done a great job of being present and being that voice and energy that he was when he was playing.
“But there’s nothing better than seeing [No.] 5 hit home runs. Can’t wait to see it.”
Following Sunday’s victory, the White Sox have a 17-15 record since Murakami was placed on the injured list. They lead the Guardians by one game in the American League Central and are ready for the boost the slugger’s return will provide.
“I hope I can get back and contribute as much as possible,” Murakami said.
“We’ve done a great job of holding ground while he’s not here,” Martin said. “It’s going to be the lift we probably need going into the All-Star break to be able to be like ‘Here we go. It’s time to push. We got everybody ready to roll.’ We couldn’t be more excited to have him back.”