Only three Japanese-born players had appeared for the Chicago White Sox before this season.
Now Chicago can put two Japanese countrymen in the same starting lineup as recent call-up Rikuu Nishida joins slugging rookie first baseman Munetaka Murakami.
After connecting for a solo shot in the first inning of Chicago’s 3-1 home win against the Minnesota Twins on Monday in the opener of a four-game series, Murakami enters Tuesday with an American League-best 18 home runs.
While Nishida won’t be expected to deliver the same kind of power, the speedy 25-year-old offers welcome versatility. He started in right field in his major league debut on Monday, erasing a runner at home plate while going 1-for-3.
“He’s one of the best baseball players that we have in our organization. He is contagious in the best way,” Chicago director of player development Paul Janish said. “The players around him get better, the teams that he is on win. It’s really hard for me to express how much I think of Rikuu as a player.”
The White Sox recalled Nishida from Triple-A Charlotte before the series opener while designating outfielder Jarred Kelenic for assignment.
Nishida played second base for much of his time in the minors — Chase Meidroth holds that position for Chicago — but his experience at all three outfield spots made him a natural addition, as White Sox brass saw it.
“He’s one of those guys, he knows his skillset as well as anybody and he’s really good at executing it,” Janish said.
As for the Twins, the Monday loss snapped a stretch of four straight victories, their third such streak of the season. They have yet to win five in a row.
Alex Jackson had two hits for Minnesota, which didn’t score after Brooks Lee cracked a solo home run two batters into the game.
The Twins have lost seven straight to the White Sox dating to last season.
Minnesota will give the ball on Tuesday to right-hander Joe Ryan (3-3, 3.02 ERA), who will aim to conclude a strong May.
Ryan has contributed three consecutive quality starts and is coming off a home win against Houston on Wednesday. He limited the Astros to one run and four hits in six innings with no walks and a season-best nine strikeouts.
“The sweeper was elite,” Twins manager Derek Shelton said after that game. “It was probably the best we’ve seen it all year.”
Added Ryan: “I just look at it as just go pitch on my day. Whoever is out there, they should think they’re the guy that day and go do their job.”
Ryan is 3-0 with a 3.41 ERA in six starts against the White Sox, with 38 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings.
Right-hander Sean Burke is set to get the call for the White Sox.
Burke (2-3, 4.08) is 0-1 with an 8.10 ERA in his past three starts. He took a no-decision at Seattle on Wednesday, allowing two runs and four hits in 4 2/3 innings with three walks and five strikeouts.
The Twins roughed up Burke the only time they faced him, a start on April 2, 2025, in Chicago. Burke took the loss after allowing six runs and seven hits, including two homers, in 4 1/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
