Mike Napoli suffered a severe knee injury while playing for the Cleveland Indians AAA affiliate. It is fair to wonder if his playing career may now be at an end.
When the Cleveland Indians signed Mike Napoli to a minor league contract, they were honest about his chances of making the team. They had signed Yonder Alonso earlier in the offseason to play first base, and Edwin Encarnacion slotted in as the designated hitter, there was not a lot of room for Napoli. However, they valued his presence in the locker room, and as a veteran that the team looked up to, Napoli was given the opportunity to audition for a major league role.
When that opportunity did not come through, Naploi found himself assigned to the Columbus Clippers. He split time between first and DH, although he was on the roster more as a coach on the field than for his ability as a player. After suffering a major injury, that transition may be coming even sooner than expected.
Francona on Mike Napoli's right knee injury: "He suffered a significant knee injury." Napoli was injured Tuesday for Triple-A Columbus chasing a foul ball early in the game.
— paul hoynes (@hoynsie) April 18, 2018
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As it was, Napoli was likely at the end of the line as a player even before this injury. In his 31 plate appearances for the Clippers, he had only one hit, a homer. While he drew seven walks, he had struck out 11 times. With this miserable performance coming on the heels of a 2017 campaign where he had a .193/.285/.428 batting line. He was still a source of power, hitting 29 homers, but also struck out 163 times in his 485 plate appearances.
The hope was that Napoli could prove to still be a viable power threat, parlaying a strong performance in Spring Training and/or AAA into another look at the majors. The Indians had enough respect for what Napoli could bring to the clubhouse and to the youth on the team to give him that chance, especially given the role he played on their 2016 World Series team.
Now, with that injury, Napoli’s second career may come sooner than expected. He still holds that respect, but it is clear that he has little to offer in terms of production. However, he can still make an impact in other capacities, a thought Terry Francona brought up as well. That impact just may end up coming from the bench, instead of via his production on the field.
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Mike Napoli still has options ahead of him. However, after this injury, the Cleveland Indians first baseman may have reached the end of his playing days.