Munetaka Murakami’s right hamstring gave way on Friday. With it, Chicago’s playoff hopes might have slipped, too. The White Sox won the game, but the mood quickly turned sour. Murakami has 20 home runs. He leads the team and is tied with Houston’s Yordan Alvarez for the American League lead. Fans knew something was terribly wrong when he grabbed his leg in the third inning.

Right after the game, manager Will Venable hoped it was just a minor issue.

“It’s going to be a couple of weeks here, just a Hamstring strain. So we’ll continue to get him evaluated tomorrow. They’ll do some imaging, and we’ll see what we’ve got,” Venable confirmed via CHSN.

But the imaging on Saturday brought much worse news. Doctors confirmed Murakami has a Grade 2 hamstring strain. He will now miss four to six weeks.

In the third inning, the Tigers’ Troy Melton was on the mound. Murakami grounded a sinker to the second and covered the first. He was safe, but was seen grabbing his hamstring as he crossed the bag. The White Sox’s medical staff checked him, and he left the field. Shortstop Luisangel Acuña replaced Murakami on the basepaths, but the Japanese slugger never returned in the game.

The team, though, made a few more changes after Murakami left. They moved Miguel Vargas from the third to first, Colton Montgomery changed from the shortstop to the third, Acuna replaced Murakami on the basepaths, along with taking over the shortstop duty. Fortunately, the White Sox still won the game with Vargas’ walk-off home run.

But despite the exciting win, the team is reeling. They are off to a shocking 30-27 start after losing over 100 games two years in a row. Losing their best player now threatens to ruin a magical season.

Now, as Murakami will miss the next couple of weeks, the White Sox have called up rookie Jacob Gonzalez.

“The Chicago White Sox are calling up infielder Jacob Gonzalez, sources tell ESPN. With Munetaka Murakami facing a multi-week absence due to a hamstring injury, the White Sox summon one of the hottest hitters in the minor leagues, batting .308/.414/.646 with 18 homers in 51 games,” MLB insider Jeff Passan shared via X.

Jacob Gonzalez’s strong batting average should comfort fans. But the team will still deeply miss Murakami.

The White Sox signed Murakami this year after his heroic journey with the Yakult Swallows in NPB. Notably, between 2018 and 2025, Murakami recorded 265 homers, including 56 homers in 2022 alone, the highest ever by a Japanese in a single season. He was going strong in MLB as well, leading the White Sox batting charts with 20 HRs and 41 RBIs.

Hamstring injuries are bad news in baseball. A Grade 2 strain means the muscle is partly torn. Big hitters like Murakami need strong legs to swing hard. If they come back too soon, they usually get hurt again. White Sox fans know this pain well. Hamstring problems ruined former star Luis Robert Jr.’s season in 2025. Kyle Teel has been out with the same issue since March.

The 2026 season is still a way from being half done, and the White Sox are already in second place in the AL Wild Card race. Losing the biggest hitter at this juncture means a challenge to keep up the momentum. The White Sox recorded 18 wins in their last 28 games, riding on Munetaka Murakami’s bat. The next two weeks would answer how they could perform without him.

Thus, there are several reasons for Chicago fans to hit the panic button as they take to social media to share their concerns.

The White Sox fans are left panicked with Murakami’s latest development

The same White Sox fans gave up hope last year, but as this year changed the momentum, they feel the pinch.

“It’s all the more disappointing because things were going so well. However, aiming for an early comeback with Mokkosu’s power, Mooney Super GOD Village “God,” one fan said. “I’m sorry for Muné, but until he returns, let’s keep winning! CHICAGO WHITE SOX is strong,” another added.

The White Sox are currently ranked 7th in terms of total runs scored (266) and 5th in terms of scoring home runs (76). Most of their hitters are hitting around .250. So, the fans are concerned if Murakami’s injury could alter this momentum. The Yankees in 2023 faced the same challenge. They held a strong playoff spot, but as Aaron Judge crashed into the outfield wall in early June, tearing a ligament in his toe and missing the next two months, the team couldn’t maintain the momentum.

Moreover, with Murakami leading the hitting chart, the fans fear how much others will go ahead of him in the next two weeks.

“I’m only upset that people can catch up to his home run lead lol. Other than that, call up Jacob Gonzalez and let’s ride,” another added.

While Gonzalez could offer enough production, Murakami would surely fall behind in the hitting chart race.

“Damn. So won’t see him against the Dodgers,” One user said.

The White Sox will face the Dodgers in the next two weeks. But the duel between Japan’s two most productive hitters would now be missed. We are still manifesting that both Shohei Ohtani and Murakami are belting homers from the plate, or Murakami facing Ohtani’s pitching. Chances are unlikely now.

“Speedy recovery,” the only thing fans can hope for.

We still hope that nothing serious comes up from his imaging, and two weeks would just be a precaution. Let’s now see how it goes for the White Sox.