Mike Napoli
1B FA
Mon 9/11/17 4:26 PM

Napoli is out of the lineup Monday against the Mariners, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
EDGE Analysis
Napoli's hitting has been underwhelming all season, and recent games have been no exception as he's gone just 3-for-17 (.176) over the last seven outings. Joey Gallo will draw the start at first base and hit sixth with Napoli out.

Mike Napoli
1B FA
Sat 9/9/17 10:34 AM

Napoli is out of Saturday's lineup against the Yankees.
EDGE Analysis
He is hitting .102 with a 31.7 percent strikeout rate over his last 49 at-bats. Joey Gallo slides over to first base while Will Middlebrooks gets the nod at third base.

Mike Napoli
1B FA
Wed 9/6/17 5:45 PM

Napoli is not in the lineup for Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Braves.
EDGE Analysis
Napoli will get a breather for Game 2 after going 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in the first game of Wednesday's twin bill. Joey Gallo will slide over to first base in his place, opening up a spot for Drew Robinson to start at the hot corner.

Mike Napoli
1B FA
Thu 8/31/17 9:56 AM

Napoli is out of the lineup Thursday against the Astros, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
EDGE Analysis
Napoli launched a three-run homer Wednesday evening, and will be rewarded with a day off the following afternoon. He has been in the starting lineup in each of the last 12 games, but will get a break Thursday in favor of Joey Gallo at first base, while Drew Robinson gets the call in left.

Mike Napoli
1B FA
Thu 8/31/17 1:18 AM

Napoli went 1-for-5 with a three-run homer against the Astros on Wednesday.
EDGE Analysis
His last seven games had seen him go 1-for-26 with a solo homer and a dozen strikeouts, so this long ball was a welcome contribution for Napoli owners, but 2-for-31 isn't much of an improvement. Although he's likely to crack 30 homers -- he's at 28 now -- this has still been the worst season of Napoli's career, as he's struggling even to reach the Mendoza Line, with his average currently lingering at .195. He isn't even drawing bases on balls like he used to, as Napoli's on pace to break a six-season streak of finishing with at least a 12 percent walk rate; he's at just 8.7 percent in 2017.

Mike Napoli
1B FA
Wed 8/30/17 12:52 PM

Napoli went 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts in Tuesday's 12-2 win over the Astros.
EDGE Analysis
The lumbering slugger has produced only one hit in his last 26 at-bats, resulting in his batting average dropping back below the Mendoza Line for the season. With Napoli striking out in more than a third of his plate appearances and not providing enough value in the field or has a power hitter to compensate, it's worth wondering if manager Jeff Banister may consider benching him more regularly now that Joey Gallo is healthy again. Gallo will play nearly every day regardless, but after Delino DeShields thrived while Gallo was on the disabled list, there may be some motivation for the Rangers to continue to give DeShields consistent at-bats, which would more than likely come at Napoli's expense.

Mike Napoli
1B FA
Fri 8/25/17 2:04 AM

Napoli went 1-for-4 with a home run and a stolen base in Thursday's win over the Angels.
EDGE Analysis
The homer was his fifth in his last 12 games, while the steal was his first of the year. Napoli continues to sell out for his power -- he has struck out 28 times in 72 at-bats this month -- and thus he seems destined to continue hovering around the Mendoza Line.

Mike Napoli
1B FA
Thu 8/24/17 9:51 AM

Napoli went 0-for-4 with a walk and a run scored in Wednesday's 7-5 victory over the Angels in 10 innings.
EDGE Analysis
After producing multiple hits four times in a span of six starts, Napoli's swing-and-miss ways have reemerged the last two contests. In those games, Napoli has gone 0-for-7 with five strikeouts, dropping his average down to a career-worst .202 for the season. It's difficult to imagine him lifting that mark much higher over the final few weeks of the season with his 33.8 percent strikeout rate serving as a major hindrance.

Mike Napoli
1B FA
Sun 8/20/17 12:45 AM

Napoli went 2-for-5 with a home run and five RBI in Saturday's win over the White Sox.
EDGE Analysis
Napoli has matched his hit total from his first 10 games of August (5) in his last four, with three of those hits leaving the yard. He's driven in 10 runs this week -- Napoli may have felt Ronald Guzman breathing down his neck at Triple-A Round Rock. The 35-year-old Napoli will be a free agent again after this season.

Mike Napoli
1B FA
Sat 8/19/17 8:09 AM

Napoli went 1-for-3 with a walk, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Friday's 4-3 loss to the White Sox.
EDGE Analysis
The homer was his 25th of the year and third in his last six games, but Napoli has only one other hit (a single) during that stretch as he does his best Joey Gallo impression. While the power is nice, the veteran slugger's .197 batting average and .720 OPS would both be career lows if he can't heat up over the final weeks of the season.