Chicago White Sox call up No. 24 prospect to replace Munetaka Murakami

Usually, when there is bad news, good news follows it. In the case of the Chicago White Sox, that happened on Friday night, as they lost first baseman/designated hitter Munetaka Murakami to injury (right hamstring strain), but beat the Detroit Tigers on a walk-off home run in the 10th inning by Miguel Vargas.

Focusing on the bad news, the White Sox will likely be without Murakami for a couple of weeks, as the 26-year-old will meet with the media on Saturday to discuss the grade of his hamstring strain. With Murakami set to miss a decent chunk, the White Sox are calling up infielder Jacob Gonzalez, who is the No. 24 prospect, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

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Gonzalez, who has been one of the best hitters at Triple-A Charlotte — slashing .308/.414/.646 with 18 homers in 51 games — is getting an early birthday gift from the White Sox with the call to the big leagues — Gonzalez turns 24 on Saturday, May 30. The White Sox drafted Gonzalez in the first round (15th overall) in the 2023 MLB Draft from the University of Mississippi.

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.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 30, 2026

Jacob Gonzalez should see a decent amount of playing time with the Chicago White Sox while Munetaka Murakami is out

With Murakami landing on the injured list, the White Sox are rather thin with options on players to play at first base. Vargas, who has been Venable’s starting third baseman (47 games, 44 starts), will likely get the bulk of the starting reps at first base. Vargas moved over from third to first in the 4-3 win over the Tigers in 10 innings after infielder/outfielder Luisangel Acuna pinch-ran for Murakami.

Even though Vargas will take down the bulk of the time at first base, Gonzalez too could spend time at the corner, as he has played six games (five starts) at first base while in Charlotte. In 43.0 innings, Gonzalez has four assists, one error and made three double plays.

Other than first base, the California native has played second base (five games, five starts), third base (one games) and has primarily played shortstop (35 games, 34 starts). With Colson Montgomery locked in at shortstop and Vargas possibly moving over to first base, Venable may use Gonzalez at third.

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