Mike Napoli’s one rather obscure ailment is the one he’ll undergo a procedure for this offseason.
Boston Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington revealed after the season that Napoli has been dealing with sleep apnea. Napoli told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford this week he’ll undergo bimaxillary advancement surgery to help alleviate the sleep disorder.
“I’ve been dealing with sleep apnea for a long time, my whole career,” Napoli wrote in a text to Bradford. “I’ve tried numerous things and none of them worked. Dental mouth piece, CPAP machine, medicines … It’s just gotten to the point where I have to get this done.”
Sleep apnea is a condition in which one’s airway becomes obstructed, causing trouble breathing during sleep. The procedure that Napoli will undergo Nov. 4 reduces such obstruction by separating the front portions of the lower and upper jaw and moving them forward.
“It’s affected him, so because we have a longer offseason we may look to work with him on some different ways to manage that going forward,” Cherington said at Fenway Park the day after the Red Sox’s season ended.
Napoli also dealt with finger, toe, knee and back injuries this season. The first baseman was limited to 119 games, during which .248 with 17 homers, 55 RBIs and a .789 OPS.
Photo via Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports Images
