Never Trust An M.R.I. from K.C.

The hierarchy of potential Yankees injuries, in order of their devastating effect on the team goes as follows:

1. Wang
   
2. A-Rod
3. Posada

Well, the third-worst-case scenario has happened, and it looks like the Bombers could be without their backstop for a long, long time. Posada's sore shoulder has turned into a torn muscle in his shoulder, and most likely a trip to visit Dr. James Andrews, which is never a good thing.

Posada could be lost for the season, which would be a monumental blow to this team. Not only because his bat would be lost from the lineup, but also because while Jose Molina is a fine backup catcher, he isn't a long-term solution as a starter and now the backup will be Chris Stewart.

The most frustrating thing about the injury is the fact that Posada had an MRI a couple of weeks ago in Kansas City. The M.R.I. was thought to show only a sprain in the muscle, but now you have to doubt those results. If there was a minor tear, perhaps a stay on the D.L. at that point would've been enough to avoid something catastrophic.

Obviously, we're going to have to wait for details before we sound any alarms, but in the meantime, would delaying the surgery until the offseason and installing Posada as your everyday DH be a terrible move? If his swing isn't effected, and the odds of exacerbating the injury are slim, I think that might be the best move for the Yanks. It would all depend on the rehabilitation time needed to recover from the surgery, I guess.