Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber and Chicago White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami were named Friday as participants in the Home Run Derby, filling out the eight-man field for Monday night’s contest at Citizens Bank Park.
The 33-year-old Schwarber, who leads Major League Baseball with 32 home runs this season, had been expected to participate on his home field, which hosts the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday.
Murakami was a surprise because he had missed more than a month with a strained right hamstring. The White Sox made the announcement when he returned to action Friday night.
Murakami, who was also named Friday as an injury replacement for the American League roster in the MLB All-Star Game, has 20 homers this season. He will become the second player from Japan to participate in an MLB Home Run Derby, joining Shohei Ohtani, who did so in 2021.
Schwarber will be joined by teammate Bryce Harper, with both trying to put on a show for the crowd at Citizens Bank Park.
Jac Caglianone of the Kansas City Royals, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Willson Contreras of the Boston Red Sox, Ben Rice of the New York Yankees and Jordan Walker of the St. Louis Cardinals are the other participants.
Schwarber, a four-time MLB All-Star, has 219 homers since 2022, trailing only New York Yankees star Aaron Judge (227) over that span.
This will be Schwarber’s third appearance in the event. He made the finals in 2018 at Washington’s Nationals Park before losing to Harper and was also part of the 2022 showcase at Dodger Stadium, losing in the first round to Albert Pujols.
Last year, Schwarber won the MLB All-Star Game for the National League in a “swing-off” tiebreaker, homering three times on three swings at Truist Park in Atlanta.