The White Sox made the following three roster moves ahead of their Saturday game:
- Placed 1B Munetaka Murakami on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain;
- Selected the contract of INF Jacob Gonzalez from Triple-A Charlotte;
- Transferred RHP Jordan Leasure to the 60-day injured list.
For Murakami, the prognosis is not good after he suffered a Grade 2 strain in the bottom of the third inning of last night’s game against the Tigers. Murakami sprinted down the line on a fielder’s choice and, after crossing first base, grabbed at his right hamstring. Following a brief exchange with manager Will Venable and the training staff, Mune was removed from the game under his own power.
CHSN’s Brooke Fletcher spoke with Venable in the dugout immediately after as part of the network’s Friday Night All-Access broadcast.
“I think [Murakami] tried to bust it down the line and the hamstring grabbed on him a little bit, so he’ll be evaluated, and we’ll see what we got.”
Will Venable
The team initially called it right hamstring tightness, though Venable shared postgame that after further evaluation, it was a strain that will likely keep Mune out for a couple of weeks. Further imaging revealed the Grade 2 strain, which will keep him out for the next 4-6 weeks. Murakami is hitting .240/.378/.560 with four doubles, 20 home runs, 41 RBI, and a .938 OPS over 57 games with the Sox this season, so this prolonged absence will surely be felt as the team is looking at an especially tough June slate.
To help keep some of that offense in the lineup, the Sox are promoting Gonzalez, who turns 24-years-old on Saturday. The 2023 first-rounder has done his part to force a promotion, slashing .317/.419/.688 with 19 home runs and 62 RBIs over 52 games with the Charlotte Knights. He’s shown a clear uptick in both impact and consistency at the plate. Much of that jump has been tied to his improved quality of contact and his ability to drive the ball with authority compared to prior years.
Before Mune’s injury, Gonzalez didn’t have a defined role on this major-league club. It seemed fair to assume now that Miguel Vargas would handle more of the first base workload in Murakami’s absence, while Gonzalez sees time at third base. However, MLB.com’s Scott Merkins reports that Venable would actually prefer the opposite, so as not to disrupt the infield dynamic.
A strong performance during this stretch could go one of two ways for Gonzalez. It could help him carve out a spot on the roster for when Murakami returns or raise his trade value ahead of the deadline, should the front office decide to leverage his offensive surge to address more pressing roster needs.
To make room for Gonzalez on the 40-man roster, right-hander Jordan Leasure has been transferred to the 60-day IL. It was revealed earlier this week that the reliever had been dealing with a right flexor strain and was placed on the 15-day IL because of it. He is expected to be shut down from throwing for at least four weeks, so an eventual move like this always appeared likely.
After their Saturday shuffle, the White Sox 40-man roster is at a full 40.
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Featured Photo: © Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
The season started terribly. Then they started to play well. This injury stings, but hope for the best. I’m probably the only lifelong Sox fan who says to re-sign either Eloy, TA, Abreu, or Yermin to 1 year minimum salary deal and see what happens. Boy would that be exciting and possibly magical.