The Chicago White Sox are about to get their star slugger back from the injured list.
Munetaka Murakami will be activated on Friday for the White Sox's series opener with the Athletics, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com.
Murakami has been sidelined since May 29 due to a Grade 2 right hamstring strain. He suffered the injury while trying to beat out a double-play ball against the Detroit Tigers at Rate Field.
Murakami played in two rehab games for Triple-A Charlotte the last two nights in a row. He played five innings at first base and logged three at-bats on Tuesday before playing all nine innings of Wednesday's game. Murakami went 2-for-7 at the plate on his rehab assignment.
As a result, the White Sox have deemed the star first baseman ready to rejoin the big-league club for their final series before the All-Star break.
The White Sox have missed Murakami's bat, which produced a .240/.378/.560 slash line with a .938 OPS, 20 home runs and 41 RBI in the first 57 games of his rookie season. Surprisingly enough, the team has gone 18-15 in Murakami's absence. Even still, it will be a major injection of power having his bat back in the lineup.
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Murakami likely would have made the AL All-Star team had he not gotten injured. The White Sox's lone representative is third baseman Miguel Vargas.
Chicago signed Murakami to a two-year, $34 million deal in free agency this past offseason, a contract that's now looking like a steal. Prior to joining the White Sox, the 26-year-old played in Japan for a total of eight seasons.
The White Sox, who lost over 100 games the last three years straight, have been baseball's biggest surprise in 2026. They are currently tied for first place in the American League Central division at 47-45.
