Rangers table long-term extension talks with Mike Napoli

According to beat writer T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, the Rangers are no longer aiming to work out a long-term contract extension this winter with catcher Mike Napoli. Here’s general manager Jon Daniels:

“We love Mike and we’re not closing the door on anything but right now we are focused on a one-year deal.”

Napoli is entering his final season of arbitration eligibility and will hit the free agent market with a bang next fall if the two sides fail to work out a long-term deal at some point during the 2012 campaign.

The 30-year-old catcher batted .320/.414/.631 with 30 home runs and 75 RBI in 113 regular season games last year for Texas before going 19-for-58 (.328) with three homers and 15 RBI in the playoffs.

Marlins third baseman Martin Prado was forced to make an early departure from Friday’s game after sustaining a left hamstring injury in the sixth inning. Prado sprinted down the first base line to beat out a grounder, but came up limping and had to be helped off of the field and down the steps of the dugout. His recovery timetable has yet to be determined, though he’s considered day-to-day for the time being.

Prior to the incident, Prado went 3-for-4 with two doubles against the Nationals’ Max Scherzer — his first game with multiple extra-base hits since July 2017. It was a rare lucky break for the infielder, who entered Friday’s game with a .169/.221/.180 batting line, one double and three RBI in 95 plate appearances in 2018. The injury appears to be an aggravation of the left hamstring strain he sustained in March, which forced the club to bench him for just over a month this spring.

Prado was replaced on the field by Brian Anderson, who shifted over from right field so the team could bring in pinch-hitter/corner outfielder J.B. Shuck. The Marlins currently trail the Nationals 7-5 in the top of the eighth inning.