The Cleveland Indians said first baseman Mike Napoli will have season-ending surgery after suffering a torn right ACL and meniscus during a minor league game.
Napoli, 36, was hurt Tuesday night while attempting to field a popup in foul territory during a Triple-A game with the Columbus Clippers.
The injury is career threatening for Napoli, who had his best season in 2016 when he helped lead the Indians to the World Series. He set career highs with 34 homers and 101 RBIs for Cleveland and was invaluable as a clubhouse leader for manager Terry Francona.
Napoli hit 29 homers last season for the Texas Rangers, before signing a minor league deal with the Indians in February. The Indians brought him to training camp but didn't have a roster spot for him after signing first baseman Yonder Alonso as a free agent.
Francona said he believes Napoli still has a future in baseball, in spite of the injury.
"You don't wish that on anybody," Francona said before the Indians faced the Orioles in Baltimore. "I do think he's smart enough to know that once he gets through this disappointment, he's going to impact somebody, somewhere. Hope it's here.
"As good a player as he was, he might impact the game more in his second career. I'm not saying he's done playing, but if he chooses to start to be on this side of the field, my guess is he's going to be even better than he was as a player."
Francona said Napoli just might have his choice of jobs.
"He's one of those guys with a skill set, whether it's as a hitting instructor, manager, third base coach, he could probably do whatever he wants," Francona said. "Even when he was in Triple-A, he said part of the reason he was there was to just to learn. I think he's smart enough to keep his eyes open and he's always listening."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
