Mike Napoli, who joined the Texas Rangers before the 2011 season and became a fan favorite who spent two more stints in Arlington late in his career, announced Saturday that he is retiring from baseball.
Napoli suffered a severe knee injury early last season while playing at Triple A in the Cleveland Indians organization. He also dealt with hip issues that arose after the 2012 season that forced him to stop catching and limited him to playing first base and designated hitter.
But the 37-year-old didn’t make any mention of those ailments as he announced his retirement on Twitter.