
The condition, known as AVN, restricts blood flow to the hip joints and can ultimately collapse the bone. It is what ended the athletic career of two-sport star Bo Jackson.
Napoli, 31, said the condition, which is in its earliest stage, should not affect his ability to be Boston’s first baseman for 2013.
In a conference call Tuesday to announce that he finally had signed with Sox — getting a one-year deal — Napoli said he first learned of the condition after taking an MRI with the Red Sox in December, shortly after he and the team agreed on a three-year, $39 million contract Dec. 3.
Since then the Red Sox and Napoli’s agent, Brian Grieper, have been working on a revised deal, gathering medical opinions from several doctors. They finally came to terms on a oneyear contract for $5 million that includes an $8 million incentive package Napoli can earn if he stays healthy.
Napoli has played 133 of his 727 major league games at first base.
Napoli loves hitting at Fenway Park, where in 19 career games he has batted .306 with seven home runs, 17 RBIs, a .710 slugging percentage and a 1.107 OPS.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less