Napoli Suffers Dislocated Finger: 'Luckily, It's Not Bad'
BOSTON (CBS) -- It looks like the Red Sox have avoided what could have been another major injury to their lineup.
But that doesn't mean it was a pretty sight at U.S. Cellular Field on Tuesday.
Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli suffered a gruesome finger injury in the ninth inning of Boston's 2-1 loss after he slid head-first into second base. Napoli, representing what could have been the go-ahead run in a 1-1 game, advanced on a wild pitch, but knew something was wrong when he hit the bag.
"I look at my finger and it's sideways," he told reporters after the game.
Luckily for Napoli and the Sox, the finger is dislocated and not broken. It was reset by the White Sox team doctor, and the Boston slugger was already wearing a splint when he talked with reporters after the game.
He's questionable for Wednesday's game, but sounded optimistic that he could play.
"I can play with some soreness," said Napoli, who was 1-for-3 on Tuesday and leads the team in average (.302), home runs (3) and RBI (9). "I guess we'll see how it goes tomorrow.
"It just stinks that guys are going down," he said. "It's part of baseball. You have to keep going, and guys have to step in. Luckily, it's not bad."
Mike Carp replaced Napoli in the field, and was unable to handle a throw from shortstop Xander Bogaerts on a grounder by Marcus Semien in the bottom of the inning. The error by Bogaerts allowed Alexei Ramirez to score the game-winning run.
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