Munetaka Murakami Fantasy Stats

Chicago White Sox corner infielder Munetaka Murakami broke out of a funk at the plate in a big way in Sunday's 12-3 blowout win over the visiting Houston Astros. Murakami went 3-for-5 at the plate with two home runs, six RBI, and three runs scored to boost his season batting average to .239 and his OPS to .921. The 26-year-old left-handed-hitting Japanese slugger was hitting .184 (7-for-38) in 11 games in July since coming off the injured list before his big performance in Sunday's series finale. He's now slashing .239/.378/.543 in his first major-league season with 22 home runs, 48 RBI, 53 runs scored, and a stolen base in 69 games across 299 plate appearances. Murakami has recorded hits in each of his last three games, so fantasy managers are hoping that he is ready to turn things around as we head into August. His power looks to be for real, and he's also walking 18.1% of the time, but he will not be a reliable source of batting average with his 32.4% strikeout rate. He has also struggled mightily against southpaws, batting .194 (14-for-72) against them with only four of his 22 homers and a 33:16 K:BB.

Chicago White Sox All-Star first baseman Munetaka Murakami said he's not thinking or talking specifics about contract extensions right now, but he affirmed that he would like to stay with the White Sox long-term, according to James Fegan of Baseball America. Murakami signed a two-year, $34 million deal to come to the States and play for the White Sox, and he was named a first-time All-Star in 2026 despite spending time on the injured list with a hamstring injury. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger took the league by storm early on and finished the first half of the season by hitting .232/.371/.540 with a .911 OPS, 20 home runs, 42 RBI, 45 runs scored, and a stolen base across his first 211 at-bats in Chicago. If Murakami continues to slug in the second half, the Pale Hale might want to start extension talks with the Japanese native sooner rather than later. Murakami most likely won't be a batting average asset with an elevated 33.6% strikeout rate, but the power is real, and he's also walking at a 17.8% clip, making himself serviceable in on-base-percentage leagues.

Chicago White Sox corner infielder Munetaka Murakami will be the final entrant in this year's Home Run Derby, which will take place at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Monday, according to MLB. Murakami just returned from the injured list after missing over six weeks with a hamstring strain in Friday's win over the Athletics and went 1-for-5 at the plate with an RBI double, a run scored, and four strikeouts. The 26-year-old Japanese native took the league by storm earlier this season before his injury in his first year in the States, and he's currently hitting .239/.375/.556 with a .931 OPS, 20 home runs, 42 RBI, 44 runs scored, and a stolen base across 58 games played and 251 plate appearances. Murakami should remain high up in Chicago's batting order going into the second half of the season. He's displayed plenty of power potential, but he also has a 33.5% strikeout rate and can go cold for stretches. Fantasy managers in redraft leagues may want to consider selling high before we even get to the second half. Murakami holds a .218 xBA and a .373 xwOBA (wOBA of .392), so regression is expected.

The Chicago White Sox officially announced on Friday that they reinstated corner infielder Munetaka Murakami (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list and optioned rookie infielder Jacob Gonzalez to Triple-A Charlotte in a corresponding move. The White Sox haven't released their starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the visiting Athletics and left-hander Jacob Lopez, but Murakami should be back in the starting nine. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger will be returning from a Grade 2 hamstring strain that he suffered on May 29, which caused him to miss 35 games. Before his injury, the Japanese native hit .240/.378/.560 with a .938 OPS, 20 long balls, 41 RBI, 43 runs scored, and a stolen base in his 200 at-bats for the Pale Hose. Murakami went 2-for-7 with an RBI during his two minor-league rehab games with Charlotte. Fantasy managers will want to return him to their starting lineups immediately, and hopefully he can pick up where he left off as one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball to close out the first half of the 2026 season.

Chicago White Sox corner infielder Munetaka Murakami (hamstring), who has been on the 10-day injured list since suffering a Grade 2 strained right hamstring on May 29, could return to the White Sox's starting lineup as soon as Friday for the series opener against the Athletics, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com. Murakami got three at-bats and played five innings at first base for Triple-A Charlotte on Wednesday night and received positive reports. The 26-year-old Japanese native took the league by storm earlier this year in his first taste of major-league pitching, hitting .240 (48-for-200) with 20 home runs, 41 RBI, 43 runs scored, and a stolen base in 57 games and 246 plate appearances. "He means a lot for this lineup. He's a great hitter. Not just for the lineup but the clubhouse in general. He's a great leader. He's a guy who everyone here looks to. It means a lot to everyone here," third baseman Miguel Vargas said. In his two rehab games with the Knights, Murakami has gone 2-for-7 with a double and a walk. His impending return could cause rookie first baseman Jacob Gonzalez to be shipped back to Charlotte.

Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (hamstring) traveled to Charlotte on Monday and will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A on Tuesday, per Scott Merkin on MLB.com. Murakami has been sidelined since late May due to a hamstring injury, but it appears he has a chance to return to the big leagues before the All-Star break. The 26-year-old was having an electric rookie season before getting injured, hitting .240/.378/.560 with 20 home runs, 41 RBI, 43 runs scored, and one stolen base across 246 plate appearances. With a 32.5% strikeout rate, Murakami's batting average upside is limited. However, he posted elite barrel (20.7%) and hard-hit (58.7%) rates. Once he returns, Murakami profiles as a must-start fantasy first baseman with immense power upside.

Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (hamstring) was able to run the bases without any issues for the second straight day ahead of Sunday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. Barring any setbacks, Murakami is expected to head to Triple-A Charlotte to begin a minor league rehab assignment early next week. The lefty slugger has been sidelined since May 30 due to a right hamstring strain. If everything goes well, Murakami could return to the White Sox lineup for the final series before the All-Star break against the Athletics. At worst, it sounds like the White Sox should have Murakami back after the break, which is huge for this offense. Murakami blasted 20 home runs with 41 RBI before landing on the shelf at the end of May.

Chicago White Sox corner infielder Munetaka Murakami (hamstring) is on the road trip with the team and is considered "day-to-day," but there is no timetable for him to begin a minor-league rehab assignment, according to manager Will Venable. Murakami landed on the 10-day injured list on May 30 with a strained right hamstring, and with no rehab assignment on the horizon, fantasy managers probably shouldn't expect him to return before the mid-July All-Star break. He's making progress, though, with Venable saying last week that Murakami was sprinting around "85 percent" intensity. In his first year in the States, the 26-year-old left-handed slugger has been a major value for fantasy managers, clubbing 20 home runs, driving in 41 runs, and scoring 43 bases in 200 at-bats while slashing .240/.378/.560 with a .938 OPS. Until he's able to return, Jacob Gonzalez should continue to see most of the playing time at first base for the Pale Hose.

Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami (hamstring) continues to progress in his recovery from a right hamstring strain with increased baseball activity. Manager Will Venable said the 26-year-old is currently evaluated at around 80 percent, and he added that the club is seeing strong progress in his rehab. Murakami has been an elite power threat in his first season after coming over from Japan, slugging .560 with a .938 OPS and 20 home runs in 57 games before the injury. His presence has been central to the White Sox offense, and his current return timeline is set for late June to early July as he continues to ramp up.

It was announced on Saturday that Chicago White Sox third baseman Munetaka Murakami is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a Grade 2 hamstring strain. The hard-hitting rookie injured himself while running to first base on a ground ball and was immediately removed from the game. This is a crushing blow to the surging White Sox, who will miss his presence in the lineup. The 26-year-old has hit 20 home runs in his first 57 games and has been a spark for the team all season. In his absence, the White Sox's long-term plan could be to move Miguel Vargas to first base and have Colson Montgomery slide over to third base to replace him. With those moves appearing in Saturday's lineup, it seems like a feasible strategy, given that both players have experience at those positions.