MLB Player News

Murakami (hamstring) ran for the second consecutive day before the White Sox's game against the Guardians on Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Murakami ran the bases and gave a thumbs-up to reporters afterward, suggesting that he's feeling good after landing on the shelf May 30 due to a right hamstring strain. Assuming he recovers well from his running workouts over the weekend, he's expected to report to Triple-A Charlotte and could begin a rehab assignment Tuesday. The door is open for Murakami to potentially return from the 10-day injured list before the White Sox's final series before the All-Star break next weekend against the Athletics.

Alonso went 3-for-3 with one double, one RBI, one run scored and two walks in Saturday's 8-5 win over the Reds.

Alonso reached base in all five of his plate appearances, capped by an RBI single in the eighth inning and a double in the ninth. It marked the second three-hit effort for the first baseman over his past nine games, a stretch in which he's tallied four extra-base hits and seven RBI. On the season, he's slashing .254/.347/.472 with 19 homers, 60 RBI, 54 runs scored and two steals across 389 plate appearances.

Contreras went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in an 8-1 victory versus the Angels on Saturday.

Contreras was handed a seven-game suspension Thursday for his role in a dust-up between Boston and Washington on Tuesday, but the veteran first baseman is able to continue playing during his appeal. That paid off big time for Boston, as Contreras clubbed a three-run homer in the first inning Saturday to give the team a lead they didn't relinquish. Contreras wasn't among the players announced for the AL All-Star team Saturday, but he's certainly put up worthy numbers in the first half. Through 85 games, he's slashing .285/.378/.536 with 19 home runs, 56 RBI, 44 runs and two stolen bases.

Clemens went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Saturday's 11-4 win over the Yankees.

The 30-year-old slugger homered for a third straight game when he took Brendan Beck deep for a two-run shot in the first inning, the first of six long balls by the Twins on the afternoon. Clemens is up to 16 home runs on the season, and five of them have come in his last eight contests -- a stretch in which he's batting .303 (10-for-33) with 10 runs and 12 RBI.

Burger is not in the Rangers' starting lineup against the Tigers on Saturday.

Burger has struggled at the plate recently, having gone 1-for-20 with six strikeouts and two RBI over his last five games. He'll get a breather Saturday while Josh Smith starts at first base and bats second.

Kurtz went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in Friday's loss to the Marlins.

Kurtz launched his 20th homer of the season with a two-run shot to center in the bottom of the third inning. The star first baseman snapped a nine-game homer drought with this long ball, but he still sits tied for sixth on the AL home-run leaderboard while tying Shea Langeliers (thumb) for the team lead. Kurtz is batting .269 with an excellent .966 OPS across 29 games since the beginning of June.

Walker (back) is batting fourth and playing first base Friday against the Rays.

Walker was removed from Wednesday's game against the Twins with lower-back stiffness, but Thursday's off day provided enough rest for the slugger. Walker is slashing .239/.310/.469 with 19 homers, 56 RBI, 45 runs scored and a 30:81 BB:K across 361 plate appearances this season. However, after a hot start to the campaign, Walker is batting .210 with a .702 OPS and 93 wRC+ since the beginning of May.

Contreras will appeal the seven-game suspension he received Thursday, allowing him to keep playing until the appeal process is completed, Evan Drellich of The Athletic reports.

MLB issued bans for Contreras and teammate Nate Eaton (three games) along with Washington pitchers Cade Cavalli (seven games) and Miles Mikolas (five games) for their roles in a benches-clearing incident that occurred Tuesday. Contreras' suspension was set to begin Friday, but he'll remain active for the Red Sox's series opener against the Angels while he waits for appeal process to play out.

Contreras received a seven-game suspension Thursday for his actions during and following Tuesday's benches-clearing incident against the Nationals, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

The benches-clearing incident Tuesday was sparked after Cade Cavalli struck out Contreras, which led to Contreras being ejected. Along with the first baseman, Nate Eaton was also suspended for three games. On the Nationals' side, Cavalli received a seven-game suspension and Miles Mikolas a five-game ban. Unless Contreras appeals the suspension, he won't be able to play until July 11.

Manager Will Venable said Monday that Murakami (hamstring) traveled with the team for its road trip and is considered day-to-day, but the White Sox haven't yet established a timeline for the first baseman to begin a rehab assignment, MLB.com reports.

Per Chuck Garfien of Chicago Sports Network, Venable said last Friday that Murakami was sprinting at about "85 percent," and the 26-year-old rookie has presumably increased the intensity of his running in the week since then. Assuming Murakami does in fact require a rehab assignment prior to being activated, he likely won't be available for the White Sox until at least next week. Jacob Gonzalez has been filling in as Chicago's primary first baseman since Murakami was placed on the 10-day injured list May 30 after straining his right hamstring.