Napoli learning to cope with degenerative hip disease
With the college doubleheader versus Northeastern and Boston College just a week away, first baseman Mike Napoli has finally been cleared to increase his baseball activities in preparation for the 2013 season.
The actual signing of Mike Napoli took a little over a month to complete due to a degenerative disease in his hip which restricts blood flow to his bones and joints. This could potentially end Napoli’s career and is news to him in 2013. The Sox acted quickly though and shortened his deal from three years to one year, and now with the contract out of the way, Napoli is looking to move forward.
So far, the big righthander is trying to remain positive and push his newfound limits a little bit as he prepares for the 2013 season. Napoli has been running on a modified treadmill and has even gotten a few swings in the cage, but other than that, he has been taking things very slow in order to protect his body from too much wear and tear.
Napoli recently received the results from his MRI last week and the results are very encouraging, as he has been given the green light to increase his baseball-related activities to the next level as he tries to make up for lost ground.
“I’m going to start doing a lot more things,” Napoli said Saturday morning. “To actually take the MRI and get the results, it’s good news. … It stayed the same, it didn’t get worse. That’s what we wanted.”
Napoli has been on a series of medications to slow down the progress of the disease and he said they should enable him to play at his usual high level. Many other athletes have thrived under the same conditions though, so there is no reason for Napoli to feel any different. Still, he’ll try to take a bit better care to be healthy for each season.
“I’ll be ready for Opening Day. We just have to take it slow,” Napoli said.
