Munetaka Murakami, a lefthanded-hitting corner infielder, was expected to be posted by his Japanese team Friday, starting the clock on his 45-day window of free agency in North America.

Murakami has played mostly third base for the Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball, but is projected to play first base for an MLB team.

That could interest the Red Sox, whose plans at first base are uncertain.

Murakami is just 25 and has shown tremendous power in Japan, belting 56 homers in 2022. But he’s also seen his strikeout rates increase in recent seasons and has had difficulty making contact against elite fastballs. When swinging at pitches at 93 mph or more in Japan this past season, Murakami hit just .093.

Currently, the Sox have Triston Casas, who missed the last five months of

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