Among the various controversial decisions by Ron Washington during the three game series in Boston was having Mike Napoli sit in a pair of those games. That decision makes more sense now, as the Rangers have announced that Napoli is being placed on the 15 day disabled list with a strained left quad. Luis Martinez is being recalled to take his place.

Napoli's departure weakens an already thin bench, which is down to just three players since Alberto Gonzalez was designated for assignment. Of those three bench players, Mike Olt is primarily going to be used as a first baseman against lefthanded pitchers, Craig Gentry has been relegated to late-inning defensive replacement duties, and Luis Martinez will probably only catch when Geovany Soto simply can't go.

Napoli has been trying to play through the problem with his quad for a while now, and it seems the Rangers have decided that he needs to rest to give it a chance to heal. Napoli will be eligible to be activated from the disabled list on August 26.