With Nick Johnson out, who's the DH?

The short answer is just about everyone.

The unsurprising but still unwelcome news that Johnson is having wrist surgery today  means that the Yankees need a new designated hitter. Not really new, since Johnson had already missed a dozen games. But you get the idea.

Alex Rodriguez was the DH last night, and he seemed pretty strong by the end of the game; it was the fourth time in the last week that either A-Rod or Derek Jeter was the DH.

Ken Davidoff had a pretty shrewd idea 10 days ago, when Johnson was initially sidelined and Jorge Posada was just finished nursing yet another nagging injury: Posada as the regular DH, with Francisco Cervelli the regular catcher.

Joe Girardi balked at the time, saying the risk of an injury to Cervelli and losing the DH in the lineup wasn't worth it. Of course, the Yankees could call up Jesus Montero to be the backup catcher, but that may stunt the growth of their prized 20-year-old prospect.

Montero hit a first-inning grand slam last night for Scranton, by the way.

But Girardi may be a little too nervous about losing his DH in the middle of a game. Posada has only caught 22 of the Yankees' 38 games this season and his current bruised foot will keep him out until at least the Mets series.

Oh, and there's this: Cervelli just might be the most clutch hitter in the Yankee lineup. He's 11-for-14 with runners in scoring position, 6-for-7 with RISP and two outs. To quote Jack Curry from the YES Network, if Cervelli went 0 for his next 19 with RISP, he'd still be hitting .333.

And the Yankees are 13-3 in Cervelli's starts.