SEATTLE — Mike Napoli is headed back to Texas, where he played in a World Series before going on to win one with Boston.
The first baseman was traded Friday to the Rangers from the Red Sox for a player to be named or cash. Boston also sent money to Texas as part of the deal, which came a week after baseball’s deadline for trading players without placing them on waivers.
Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels said reacquiring Napoli fills the team’s need for a right-handed bat with power.
“He is a guy who always hits lefties. It’s an area where we have struggled this year,” Daniels said on a conference call Friday night. “He is a guy we know. We know he’s going to fit our culture. He has a winning makeup.”
Minutes before the first pitch of Boston’s game at Detroit on Friday night, Napoli was removed from the lineup.
He batted .207 with 13 homers and 40 RBI in 98 games for the last-place Red Sox this year and can become a free agent after the season.
Napoli, 33, was a fan favorite during two productive years in Texas before signing with the Red Sox and helping them win the 2013 World Series.
He batted .320 with a career-high 30 homers as the Rangers won their second consecutive American League pennant in 2011. He hit .350 with two home runs and 10 RBI in the World Series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
The following season, Napoli had 24 home runs in 108 games and was the American League’s starting catcher in the All-Star Game.
With his return to Texas, Napoli is back in the playoff chase. The Rangers (54-53) had won four straight entering Friday night’s series opener against the Seattle Mariners and were 21/2 games behind in the race for the second American League wild-card berth. Texas was 51/2 behind the first-place Houston Astros in the American League West.
Napoli is expected to join the club Saturday, when the Rangers are set to face Seattle lefty Mike Montgomery.
Daniels said the initial plan is for Napoli to be the designated hitter or first baseman against left-handers.
The Rangers were hitting just .238 against left-handed pitching, ranking 24th in the majors.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.