CLEVELAND (AP) Former Indians slugger Mike Napoli will have season-ending knee surgery after getting hurt in the minors.
Napoli tore his right anterior cruciate ligament this week while playing for Triple-A Columbus. He will have the operation once the swelling goes down, and the Indians say that could take two weeks.
The injury is career threatening for the 36-year-old, who had his best season in 2016 when he helped lead the Indians to the World Series. Napoli set career highs with 34 homers and 101 RBIs for Cleveland and was invaluable as a clubhouse leader for manager Terry Francona.
The Indians signed Napoli to a minor league deal this winter and brought him to training camp. But Cleveland didn’t have a roster spot for him after signing first baseman Yonder Alonso as a free agent.
Napoli played with Texas last season and won a World Series with Boston in 2013.
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