Chicago placed Munetaka Murakami on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a right hamstring strain after the first baseman left Friday’s game against the Detroit Tigers in the third inning.
Murakami grabbed his hamstring after beating a throw to first when he hit into a fielder’s choice in the third inning. Luisangel Acuña came in to pinch run for him.
“It’s going to be a couple of weeks here,” White Sox manager Will Venable told Chicago Sports Network after the game. “It’s a hamstring strain. So we’ll continue to get him evaluated. Tomorrow we’re going to do some imaging, and we’ll see what we’ve got.”
The 26-year-old Murakami has been a huge addition for the White Sox, who signed the Japanese star to a two-year, $34 million contract in December.
Murakami has 20 homers and is tied with Houston’s Yordan Alvarez for second place in the majors in that category, trailing Kyle Schwarber’s 22 blasts.
Murakami is also hitting .240 with a .378 on-base percentage and 41 RBIs in 57 games. His 44 walks ranked fifth in the majors.
To take Murakami’s spot on the roster, the White Sox selected Jacob Gonzalez from triple-A Charlotte.
Gonzalez, 24, was the team’s first-round pick in 2022 and is Chicago’s No. 23 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.
The left-handed-hitting middle infielder owned a .317/.419/.668 slash line with 19 home runs in 52 minor-league games this season.
— with files from the Associated Press