Mike Napoli and the Red Sox might have been forced to work out a new deal. But it could have been much worse for the new Red Sox first baseman if they didn't discover his condition during his physical.
After speaking with Mike Napoli's doctor, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal revealed that his condition, avascular necrosis, was caught early and will reduce the likelihood of it worsening over time.
Dr. Joseph Lane of the Hospital for Special Surgery has been working with Napoli during the offseason. He believes since Napoli's condition was found early, he could have avoided the problem.
"The earlier you know it, the better the chance to prevent regression and in some cases actually heal the process," Lane said. "If you do it late, it's just a matter of when will the hip fail. But (Napoli) doesn't have that. It was caught, it appears, when his hip was absolutely perfectly round."
Dr. Lane believes that Napoli "has a very good chance that that hip will heal and he'll go on to a long productive career."