White Sox's Venable says Murakami will likely miss 'a couple of weeks' with hamstring strain

Audio By Carbonatix

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami is expected to miss about two weeks after injuring his right hamstring in a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Friday.

Murakami grabbed his hamstring after beating a throw to first when he hit into a fielder’s choice in the third inning. Luisangel Acuña came in to pinch run for him.

“It's going to be a couple of weeks here,” White Sox manager Will Venable told Chicago Sports Network after the game. “It's a hamstring strain. So we'll continue to get him evaluated. Tomorrow we're going to do some imaging and we'll see what we've got.”

The 26-year-old Murakami has been a huge addition for the White Sox, who signed the Japanese star to a two-year, $34 million contract in December.

Murakami has 20 homers and entered Friday tied with Houston’s Yordan Alvarez for second place in the majors in that category. Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber leads the majors with 21 homers.

Murakami also entered Friday batting .242 with a .381 on-base percentage and 41 RBIs in 56 games. His 44 walks ranked fifth in the majors.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB