CHICAGO -- Munetaka Murakami, who is recovering from a Grade 2 right hamstring strain he sustained beating out a double-play grounder against Detroit on May 29 at Rate Field, began a rehab assignment on Tuesday with Triple-A Charlotte.
The Knights claimed an 8-2 victory over Nashville, and here’s the rest of what you need to know.
How did he perform?
Murakami came out swinging in his first-inning plate appearance, lining Carlos Rodriguez’s first pitch for a single to right. His hit followed a single from Rikuu Nishida, with Murakami batting second.
In the second inning, Murakami struck out at the close of a seven-pitch at-bat with the bases loaded. He struck out again in the fourth in a six-pitch at-bat with runners on first and second, then his night ended after five innings when Nolan Jones replaced him at first base.
“I’m just really happy to be back on the field without any concerns about my body,” Murakami told Charlotte reporter Kendall Smith postgame via interpreter Kenzo Yagi. “It was a very long rehabilitation process, but I’m just really happy to be back. I was able to accomplish Game 1 today so I’m ready to get back on the field tomorrow and prepare for that game.”
“Honestly, all that ground work has been laid through his rehab,” Charlotte manager Chad Pinder told Smith. “Now it’s getting him out on the field, getting the repetitions, getting his routine back. ... Really, we are just facilitating the work he needs in the last step to get back to the big leagues. We are excited to have him.”
What’s next?
The pregame plan for Tuesday was five to seven innings at first base for Murakami. He’s scheduled to start the next two games as well for the Knights against Nashville on Wednesday and Thursday.
“It’s going to be day by day,” White Sox manager Will Venable said of Murakami, prior to Tuesday’s 8-1 loss to the Red Sox at Rate Field. “So, I’m not going to put a timeline on it, just because I don’t know how he’s going to recover, how many at-bats he gets, how they go, how he’s feeling.
“We’ll make adjustments as we need them.”
Seeing Murakami back with the White Sox in Chicago for this weekend’s three-game series against the Athletics certainly is not out of the question.
“There’s a game plan to build him up throughout the week,” Venable said. “See how he’s feeling and recovering. And then, hopefully, at some point before the break, we’ll activate him.”
“I just want to take it step by step,” Murakami said. “Not rush it and try to get back on the field in great condition so I can contribute to the team again.”
What are they saying?
“I don’t want to let down the team anymore. So I’ll really concentrate on how my body condition is doing and try to get back on the field as fast as possible.” – Murakami, on his goals while playing in Charlotte
What else?
• Anyone who has paid a moment of attention to the 2026 White Sox knows Murakami wears jersey No. 5 during his stellar rookie season. So, why was the man with 20 big-league home runs in jersey No. 25 for Charlotte on Tuesday? No. 5 already belongs to Knights outfielder/first baseman Caden Connor.
• Right-hander Tanner McDougal, ranked as the No. 5 White Sox prospect by MLB Pipeline, returned from the injured list on Tuesday and struck out two over one scoreless inning. McDougal, who was sidelined by a right flexor strain, could help the White Sox bullpen after the All-Star break.
• All eyes were on Murakami, but Nishida finished with three hits. Ryan Galanie followed Murakami’s second-inning strikeout with a grand slam, marking his 12th homer of the season.