It's not looking good for Posada

BOSTON

His smile served as his mask, his words a shield of convenient ignorance. And no one faulted Jorge Posada or demanded more from him.

It's likely that Posada never again will serve as an important player for the Yankees. Probably for any team.

Reporters knew it as we surrounded Posada's locker in the Fenway Park visitors' clubhouse before the Yankees' 3-2, 10-inning loss. And Posada seemed to know it, too.

"It's just a matter of getting in there and, when you get a chance, go out there and hit," he said, sounding like a salesman pitching a product he doesn't like.

Joe Girardi told Posada that he'll be relegated to the bench for the foreseeable future, the right call to anyone who has been paying attention. Eric Chavez started at DH against Boston and Josh Beckett, with Eduardo Nuñez playing third base, and Jesus Montero could be promoted very shortly from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to get some at-bats at DH.

If there's any silver lining for Posada, it's that he lasted long enough into the season that the club won't be compelled to release him. They can get by with him until Sept. 1, at which point the rosters can be expanded to 40. And he can hang out, as an inactive player, during the team's postseason run.

"It's tough," Girardi said. "Jorgie and [my] relationship goes back a long, long way, [to] 1996. He's done so many great things in this game, great things for the Yankees. He's been part of so many championship teams and division winners.

"I know how much he wants to be a part of this, too. That's why I said, 'This is today. I can't tell you it's going to be like this two weeks from now, a month.' You can't say that. But this is what it is today. He's got to stay ready."

The whole truth and nothing but the truth, however? Only multiple disappointments will give Posada another real opportunity. The injury-prone Chavez would have to get hurt again. Montero would have to fall on his face. Alex Rodriguez, due back in a little more than a week from right knee surgery, would have to falter in his return.

Whether Posada agrees or not -- eerily, he offered the same "I put myself in this situation" line that he spoke May 14, when he pulled himself from the lineup after Girardi hit him ninth -- the Yankees provided him more than enough time to make the transition from catcher to DH.

He has a .309 on-base percentage and .372 slugging percentage in 317 plate appearances, and it's even worse when you eliminate his occasional starts at first base. Just as a DH, he's at .293/.350 in 270 plate appearances.

"He's just struggling to find a way to get his hits," Girardi said. "He did go on a good streak after we had the situation in May."

From May 15-June 30, Posada had what could be his final resurgence, a .393 OBP and .505 SLG in 107 plate appearances. From July 1 through Saturday, though, his performance plummeted dramatically to a .259 OBP and .244 SLG in 85 plate appearances.

"[Girardi] said he was going to put the best lineup on the field," Posada said. "He doesn't know when I'm going to DH again. Right now, I'm sitting on the bench."

There are worse ways to end a fantastic career than serving as witness to another pennant quest. If Posada is a little overpaid for that job, then few, if anyone, will begrudge him.