Munetaka Murakami (hamstring) doubles in rehab game

Murakami went 1-for-5 with a run scored against the injury-riddled Athletics on Friday in his return from the injured list. He struck out four times was one of the few Chicago hitters that didn’t go off during the club’s 14-run explosion. The 26-year-old first baseman will probably need a couple games to knock off some of the rust heading into the second half after missing nearly six weeks with a hamstring strain. He’s put together a phenomenal debut campaign so far, hitting .239/.375/.556 with 20 homers, 42 RBI and one steal through 58 games.

This was reported yesterday and is now official. Murakami will return to a .240/.378/.560 slash line with 20 home runs and a 32.5 percent strikeout rate in 57 games. The White Sox can certainly use his power back in the lineup.

Murakami, who has been out since late May, has played two straight games in Triple-A Charlotte. If this report is true, Murakami would get a handful of at-bats this weekend before the All-Star Break hits. Merkin speculates that Jacob Gonzalez being demoted would seem “the likely move.”

Murakami singled in his first at-bat before striking out twice in his rehab debut. The 26-year-old first baseman will probably require a couple additional contests to knock off the rust from an extended layoff before he returns to Chicago’s lineup later this week. He’s been out with a hamstring strain since late May.

Murakami will kick off a rehab stint with Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday with the goal of returning to Chicago prior to next week’s All-Star break. The 26-year-old rookie slugger should only require a handful of minor-league tune-up contests to get back up to speed. He’s been out with a hamstring strain since late May. Fantasy managers should plan to have Murakami back in the mix by the end of the week and he should be a full-go coming out of the Midsummer Classic.

Venable didn’t offer an exact timeline for Murakami to kick off a rehab assignment, adding that he’ll need to run the bases before he’s officially cleared. The original expectation was that he would miss 4-6 weeks after being diagnosed with a Grade 2 hamstring strain back in late May. The fact that he’s progressed to on-field hitting means he’s getting close to game action again. There should be a definitive update on his status in the coming days. Fantasy managers should anticipate Murakami making it back to Chicago sometime around this month’s All-Star break.

Venable also said that the first baseman would get into rehab games as soon as he felt 100 percent. We may be another couple of weeks away from that, which means there is a chance Murakami is playing rehab games by July and could return just before the All-Star break.

Murakami is expected to miss at least 4-6 weeks after being diagnosed with a Grade 2 hamstring strain over the weekend. The 26-year-old slugger will be on the shelf until at least late June. The hope is that the PRP injection will expedite the healing process. There should be a clearer return estimate once he’s cleared to ramp up baseball activities in a couple weeks.

It’s a significant hit for Chicago and fantasy managers as Murakami will remain on the shelf until at least late June, even in a best-case scenario. There’s a chance he’s out until around the All-Star break in mid-July. The 26-year-old power-hitter was putting together a phenomenal rookie campaign, slashing .240/.378/.560 with 43 runs scored, 20 homers, 41 RBI and one stolen base across 246 plate appearances through 57 games. There are some lingering contact concerns in his profile, but he’s looked like an over-the-fence power threat so far. There should be a clearer return timetable once he’s cleared to begin ramping up baseball activities. It’ll be Miguel Vargas moving over to cover first base with breakout prospect Jacob Gonzalez getting a chance with the White Sox in a multi-position role.

White Sox manager Will Venable said Murakami is likely facing a multi-week absence. The 26-year-old rookie sensation will undergo an MRI this weekend to determine the severity of the injury. He’s been an unexpected revelation in his Chicago debut, slashing .240/.378/.560 with 43 runs scored, 20 homers, 41 RBI and one stolen base across 246 plate appearances through 57 games. There’s almost no precedent in the Statcast era for a hitter combining a near-60 percent hard-hit rate and elite over-the-fence power while also striking out at a clip north of 32 percent. Even so, Murakami hasn’t looked overmatched in his stateside debut and should remain an upper-echelon fantasy contributor if his contact skills hold at a passable level. A more definitive timetable for his return should emerge later this weekend.