Almost a month after being placed on the disabled list with a nagging quad injury, Rangers catcher Mike Napoli is finally on his way to a rehab assignment with the team’s Double-A affiliate in Frisco.
Officially called a “strained quadricep,” the injury forced Napoli to the DL on August 11. Texas had initially hoped that the 2012 American League All-Star would return on or around September 1, but after suffering a setback in rehab a couple weeks ago, it was clear that that timetable was out the window.
Napoli did some running drills on the field prior to the Rangers’ game with the Rays on Saturday in St. Petersburg, FL., and manager Ron Washington was encouraged by what he saw.
“He ran good today,” Washington said Saturday, per the Dallas Morning News.
Napoli will join Double-A Frisco in time for the opening game of their Texas League Championship series with Springfield, which begins on Tuesday in Springfield. Washington said that Napoli will likely DH a game and catch two more before returning to the Rangers for the homestretch of the regular season.
