BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox are confident that Mike Napoli can be their regular first baseman despite a hip condition that led to him signing a one-year contract instead of the original three-year agreement that had been reached. . "This has been caught very early," Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said Tuesday. "Theres, from all the information we have, a very good prognosis and no reason to think that Mike wont be a huge part of our 2013 team." The contract Napoli signed on Tuesday is for $5 million with possible bonuses that could take its value to $13 million. His condition is known as avascular necrosis, which can cause bone tissue to die because of poor bloody supply. His agent, Brian Grieper, said Napoli has it in both hips. But Napoli, a catcher most of his career, said hes had no symptoms and didnt know he had the condition until it showed up during a physical required by the Red Sox after reaching the earlier $39 million deal. "It was definitely a shock," Napoli, who is taking medication for the condition, said during a conference call. "I never had trouble with it," he said. "I played with it last year. I feel fine. Im doing everything in the gym right now." Former baseball and NFL star Bo Jackson also had AVN, and his career was cut short, but Cherington said Napolis case is "very different." Napoli, 31, spent the past two seasons with the Texas Rangers after playing his first five for the Los Angeles Angels. He batted .227 last year with 24 homers and 56 RBIs and was chosen for his first All-Star game. Other teams expressed interest in him after the hip problem surfaced, but the Red Sox were "the best fit for me," he said. The Red Sox hope he can provide right-handed power in the middle of the lineup. In 19 games at Fenway Park, he hit .306 with seven homers and 17 RBIs. Playing first base, where Boston has no returning veteran, will take less of a toll on his lower body, Cherington said. "We know he can catch. Hes done that a lot in the past," Cherington said, but "it makes sense in the short term to allow Mike to focus" on first base. "We have no reason to believe that he wont be ready on opening day." Napoli has played 539 games as a catcher and 133 as a first baseman. "I definitely feel comfortable" at first base, he said. "I feel like the more reps I get over there, the better I can be. Its definitely going to be a lot easier on my body. ... Im confident I can stay healthy all year." He played in 108 games last season but his production dropped sharply from 2011 when he posted career highs of a .320 batting average, 30 homers and 75 RBIs. For his seven seasons, hes hitting .259 with 146 homers and 380 RBIs. The Red Sox made room for Napoli on their 40-man roster by designating right-hander Chris Carpenter for assignment. In his only season with Boston, Carpenter was 1-0 with a 9.00 ERA in eight relief appearances. He began the season on the disabled list following surgery on his right elbow in March. [url=http://www.packersofficialteamstore.com/autographed-jermichael-finley-jerse... Finley Jersey . Various reports indicate Kuznetsov, one the Capitals top prospects, has decided to continue playing in Russias Kontinental Hockey League, signing a two-year deal with Chelyabinsk. . Off-Season Game Plan looks at Stars roster and what moves could help them bid for a playoff spot next season. While the Stars missed the postseason, their minus-11 goal differential was the best among non-playoff clubs last season, so they arent necessarily that far away. [url=http://www.packersofficialteamstore.com/autographed-alex-green-jersey-kh-19... . Phillips homered and drove in a pair of runs Tuesday night, and Mike Leake pitched seven innings and scored off a dash home on a wild pitch, setting up a 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates that moved Cincinnati another step closer to the NL Central title. [url=http://www.packersofficialteamstore.com/autographed-jordy-nelson-jersey-rx-... Nelson Signed Jersey .C. -- Forbes annual ranking of Americas Most Influential Athlete has placed NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson at the top of the list for the second consecutive year. . -- Its only Week 3 and already the Kansas City Chiefs are so banged up theyve had to alter their practice schedule. DOVER, Del. -- Could it really be true love between Denny Hamlin and Dover? So far, its at least a crush. His performance Sunday will really determine the fate of this relationship. Trying his best to adjust his approach toward his least favourite track, Hamlins reignited courtship produced fantastic results Saturday when he turned a lap of 256.367 km/h to win the pole at Dover International Speedway. Hamlin has been open in his disdain for the one-mile concrete oval and knew hed have to conquer his Dover demons to keep his driven bid for his first career Cup championship rolling along. Hamlin, third in the points standings, turned to a sports psychologist for advice. The message for Hamlin was this, "Let your challenge for the week be to fall in love with this track." Hamlin says the good karma, and a great No. 11 Toyota, all played a part in the turnaround. "I think that right now we have everything rolling," Hamlin said. "That part of it is giving me a ton of confidence." Hamlin is six points behind Brad Keselowski and seven points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. Johnson starts 11th as he chases history at Dover. He raced his way into the tracks history books in June with his seventh win on the concrete, matching the mark held by Hall of Fame drivers Richard Petty and Bobby Allison. No active driver owns the track like the five-time Sprint Cup champion. Johnson led 289 of the 400 laps and looked every bit like the driver who swept the two Cup races at Dover in 2002 and 2009. Johnson also won at Dover on Sept. 26, 2010 and he won the September 2005 race. Dover has traditionally given Hamlin fits. He has an average finish of 20.5 in 13 career starts at Dover. He finished 36th or worse during a four-race stretch from 2007 to 2009. Hes said he just doesnt like the track known as the Monster Mile. Heres a curve. On Saturday, he taalked about winning. [url=http://www.packersofficialteamstore.com/autographed-marshall-newhouse-jerse... Newhouse Jersey. "Weve got a car thats very capable of staying in the front and hopefully well have a shot to win," Hamlin said. Hamlin won his 12th career pole, third this season, and, no surprise here, his first pole at Dover. He had never started better than third. Hamlin praised crew chief Darian Grubb, who led Tony Stewart to the championship last year, for putting the No. 11 in position to take the pole. "I think theres a lot of drivers out there that could be able to do what I do with the cars that Darian has been giving me the last few weeks," Hamlin said. "Im going to give him pretty much all the credit and ride his back as long as it will hold me." Nine other Chase for the Sprint Cup championship drivers filled the top 13. Clint Bowyer starts second and Martin Truex Jr. is third. Greg Biffle and Jeff Gordon start sixth and seventh. Kasey Kahne, Keselowski, Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick are ninth through 13th. Stewart starts 24th and Dale Earnhardt Jr. is 25th for Sundays 400-mile race. "We didnt have a good car in practice and we didnt find any good speed or find any good balance," Earnhardt said. "Its going to be a tough day, I think. Its going to be a tough race for us. We are just going to have to work hard and see what happens." Truex had a nice qualifying run on the site of his only career Cup victory. Truex, from nearby Mayetta, N.J., finished ninth and 17th in his first Chase races and is 10th in the standings, 34 points behind Johnson. He posted the fastest time in the first practice Friday and has the speed needed to race into contention for that long-awaited second win. "We felt good about our car yesterday on long runs," Truex said. "We had good long run speed. Thats what it takes here. Well see if we can get it done tomorrow." ' ' '