Yankees Place Posada on DL for First Time

The New York Yankees took the field Monday missing a familiar face: Jorge Posada, the club's proud catcher and one of its leaders, was in Alabama getting his injured right shoulder examined. Posada was placed on the 15-day disabled list for the first time in his career, ending a remarkable run of durability at baseball's most physically demanding position.

The 36-year-old, who has caught at least 137 games in each of the past eight seasons, finally succumbed to pain in his shoulder that he had been feeling for most of the season's first month. "It's kind of strange to go into the clubhouse and you don't see him," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi.