The White Sox needed good news, and they got it: Munetaka Murakami is officially activated. MLBTradeRumors confirmed the move, ending a rehab stint that had Sox fans checking Charlotte box scores every night hoping the hamstring would hold up.
MLB Trade Rumors broke the activation news.
For a rookie, Murakami's first season in Chicago has been absurd. He homered in each of his first 3 career games, becoming the first player in White Sox history to do that, and went deep in 5 straight games during a stretch that had him leading the majors in home runs as of May 1. Before he ever recorded a double or triple, he'd already hit 14 homers, an MLB record for a career start. Then on May 29 it all stopped, a Grade 2 hamstring strain suffered legging out a double-play grounder against Detroit, right as he was tied for the AL home run lead and pacing the league in runs.
That's the version of Murakami the Sox have been missing for 6 weeks: a .240 hitter with 20 homers, a .394 on-base percentage and a .992 OPS who was arguably the best rookie story in baseball before he went down. Chicago's offense has felt the absence, and getting him back before the All-Star break was the best-case scenario the team was hoping for when he first landed in Triple-A for his rehab assignment.
MLB Trade Rumors confirmed Murakami is starting tonight, not just back on the roster.
The distinction matters. Plenty of activations turn into a slow ramp-up off the bench. This one comes with him straight back in the starting lineup, which tells you the White Sox like what they saw in his rehab at-bats and aren't wasting any time getting his bat into games that count.
For fantasy managers who stashed him through the IL stint, tonight is the payoff. For the White Sox, it's simpler than that: a lineup that's been scraping for offense just got its most dangerous hitter back, and the timing, right before the break, gives Chicago a real chance to close the first half on a heater instead of a whimper.