Napoli Suffers Setback In Rehab

Rangers fans patiently waiting on the return of Mike Napoli will have to wait just a little bit longer.

Napoli suffered a setback in rehabbing his injured quad this week and will miss at least a few more days because of it, meaning that the American League All-Star won’t be back until well into the first week of September.

Originally thought to be a minor injury, Napoli played through tightness in the quad for a few games before being forced out of the lineup and, eventually, sent to the disabled list. That was back on August 11, and the team had hoped that he could return (at the earliest) on September 1--this Saturday.

But when running on the injured leg prior to Monday’s series opener with the Rays--to use Ron Washington’s words, per the Dallas Morning News--Napoli “couldn’t push it into second gear.”

According to the account in the Morning News, the Rangers think Napoli will need three or more games on assignment in the minors before returning to the big league lineup. He was originally supposed to begin his rehab assignment on Wednesday, but now, it could be the weekend before Napoli sees action in a game.