Munetaka Murakami’s bat has gone cold at exactly the wrong moment for the White Sox.
The Japanese rookie slugger has watched his production slide hard since the start of August, and Chicago’s thin AL Central lead leaves no room for that kind of downturn. The White Sox are only half a game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians, so every quiet night from Murakami carries extra weight.
The numbers since August tell the story plainly. He is hitting .131 with a .277 on-base percentage and a .301 slugging percentage, while striking out at an ugly 41.8 percent clip. Over 14 games in September, the slump has deepened even more, with Murakami batting just .098 and carrying a .436 OPS.
His rough stretch has not been tied to the hamstring injury that knocked him out for six weeks in late May. After returning from the injured list on Aug. 10, he actually looked dangerous for a while, playing 17 games in July and putting up an OPS above .900 with a .258 batting average. The decline came later, after pitchers began adjusting to him.
Those adjustments have been obvious. Opponents have attacked him with high-velocity fastballs and breaking pitches, trying to keep him off balance. Even so, Murakami has still drawn walks at an elite rate, sitting at 17 percent and ranking in the 100th percentile in that category.
The recent games against Cleveland showed the struggle up close. In Tuesday’s 7-6 loss, Murakami went hitless, drew one walk and struck out four times. A day earlier, in Chicago’s 7-3 win over the Guardians, he struck out three times and walked once.
And yet the power remains impossible to ignore. Murakami has 31 home runs, second among rookies behind Kazuma Okamoto’s 33. That power is part of why talk surfaced in late August about the White Sox being interested in signing him for the long haul.
With only a couple of weeks left in the regular season, Chicago needs Murakami to shake off the skid and find his rhythm again. If the White Sox are going to push through this stretch and make a deep postseason run, they will need the version of him that looked dominant earlier, not the one they’ve seen lately.
In Other News...
White Sox Lose Veteran Arm As Another Contender Pounces
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Urquidys resume still carries weight, especially after his role in Houstons 2022 World Series run, and that is part of what made him appealing to a contender looking for stability. Philadelphia made the move by shifting Caleb Kilian to the 60-day injured list, a reminder of how one roster shuffle for a contender can leave the White Sox watching another useful piece land elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
White Sox May Have One Last Infield Gamble For More Offense
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White Sox Make A Surprising Lineup Call With Montgomery Out
With Colson Montgomery sidelined by a wrist contusion, the White Sox are making a noticeable adjustment as they open a four-game set against the Tigers at Rate Field. Chicago is leaning into a righty-heavy lineup against left-handed starter Framber Valdez, a choice that stands out on a night when the club is also trying to keep pace while navigating a few moving parts in the order.
The matchup adds another layer of intrigue because both starting pitchers have been trending well, with Erick Fedde getting the call for Chicago and Valdez drawing the assignment for Detroit. The White Sox have some recent production to weigh along with the injury news, but the larger question is how this lineup construction plays out against a quality left-hander in a series that could shape the tone of the week. [Read more 🡒]