White Sox' Munetaka Murakami Should Be Back in the Lineup Very Soon

The Chicago White Sox continue to rise to the ocassion.

Facing off in another grudge match against their AL Central rival, the White Sox were on the brink of losing their divisional lead with back-to-back losses to start the series. To make matters worse, they dropped both contests in brutal walk-off fashion.

Will Venable was able to keep his team's head on straight, though, leading the White Sox to two straight wins and evening up the series. This included a 7-6 victory on Sunday, where three Sox players were able to send one out of the park.

Slugging is what this team has done best all season long, sending 125 balls out of the park. This tied them for the second-most in baseball, placing them right behind the Yankees for the league lead. And they have maintained that status despite being without their best pure power hitter since late May.

The Japanese sensation started his Major League career with a bang. He smashed 20 home runs over his first 57 games, thrusting him right in the middle of the MVP race. To be sure, his strikeout rate was as high as some feared, but he also pleasantly surprised everyone with his ability to draw walks. Murakami currently has a walk rate of 17.9 percent, which comfortably sits in the league's 99th percentile.

In other words, getting him back in the lineup is only going to make this first-place team look even stronger. And it sounds like they are finally close to making that happen.

Munetaka Murakami Heads to Rehab Assignment

Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami (5) homers (1) on a fly ball to right field during the ninth inning of the Opening Day game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday March 26, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Charlotte Knights announced on Monday that Munetaka Murakami will officially report to the team for his rehab assignment this week.

Exactly how many at-bats Murakami will see for the Triple-A squad remains to be seen, but the news marks the next and final step toward his return to the South Side. In fact, it now feels more than likely that Murakami is back near the top of the Sox order by at least the end of this week, when they take on the Athletics at The Rate. Chicago will first start a three-game series against the Red Sox on Tuesday night.

All things considered, it would feel like a big win to get Murakami back in the swing of things (literally) right before the All-Star break begins. This would give him a couple of games to get his feet wet again before another nice stretch of rest.

The Knights, per usual, have an off day tonight before beginning a new series against Nashville. This means that Murakami's first rehab stint will be tomorrow at 6:04 PM CT. Whether or not the Sox plan to have him suiting up at first base or simply at DH will be something to monitor. However, having him play in the field might be a necessary part of his rehab, especially when we consider it was a hamstring issue.

Anyway, it's some excellent news for a White Sox squad looking to stay hot. Murakami has been among the most exciting MLB newbies this season, and he now gets to return to a team very much in the playoff race.

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