Star veteran player has best season in contract year. Gets re-upped. Then for the first time in a potential Hall Of Fame 14-year career, gets hurt and goes on the DL with a bad shoulder. Maybe it was bound to happen to star Yankee catcher Jorge Posada, who never had been on the DL before.

The 36 year-old Posada has been a fixture behind the plate for the Bronx Bombers spanning more than a decade. A five-time AL All-Star who’s finished in the top six of MVP voting twice including sixth last season in which teammate Alex Rodriguez took home the hardware, Posada’s throwing shoulder had been aching him for a couple of weeks forcing him out of action. Most alarming was that while a team MRI revealed a strain it hasn’t improved causing the respectable backstop to shut it down and visit orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews.

There’s a possibility that it could be a torn labrum which would likely spell the end of Posada’s season. He’s in the first year of a four-year $52.4 million contract. In 18 games this season, he’s hit .302 with a homer, 11 RBI’s and eight runs scored.

Once before following the 2001 season, the Puerto Rican had surgery to repair a torn labrum. The Yankees and Posada will find out the diagnosis soon. For now, the Pinstripes will have to go on without one of their mainstays who helped them win three of four World Series including three straight from 1998-2000.

“He’ll be all right. I’m not a doctor, but my opinion is he’ll be OK,” longtime teammate and Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter indicated.. “I know that Jorge takes a lot of pride in playing. It’s better off to rest it now than run into a problem later in the season. Other guys have to step up, pick up the slack.

“Obviously, Jorge is tough to replace, but every team goes through things like this. The thing is, I think he’ll still be in here (the clubhouse) and that’s important. He’ll be on the DL a couple weeks.”

For first-year skipper Joe Girardi, it’s a loss which should be felt in and out of the clubhouse.

“It’s kind of strange to go into the clubhouse and you don’t see him,” the 1996 World Series hero said of a catcher who had started at least 137 games behind the plate the past eight seasons. “He’s a quiet leader. He’s a constant in the clubhouse, you like to see guys like that.”

So, can the Yanks survive without him? Well, veteran backup Jose Molina isn’t bad by any stretch and should get the majority of the starts in Posada’s place. The ex-Angel acquired last year doesn’t possess the big bat but is a steady influence behind the plate who has a solid arm.

In a packed lineup which includes Jeter, Rodriguez, Bobby Abreu and Hideki Matsui, Molina shouldn’t have to carry the load. If Robinson Cano gets out of a slump, that should bolster it. Especially with Melky Cabrera’s improved power tying Jason Giambi for the club lead with five dingers.

Molina will be backed up by 26 year-old recall Chris Stewart, who hit .300 with a .404 on-base percentage in 40 at bats with Triple A Scranton/Wilkes Barre.

The good news for the Yanks who again have gotten out of the gate slowly is that they rebounded taking the last two from Cleveland to gain a split of a four-game road series. Sure. They were no-hit for five innings by 22 year-old Indian southpaw Aaron Laffey but managed to scratch out four in the sixth following infield hits by Cabrera and Jeter.

They didn’t exactly hammer Laffey instead dinking and dunking their way to home plate with just a Morgan Ensberg infield hit (third of inning) plating one of the four more conventional.

The four run sixth along with a Hideki Matsui eighth inning runscoring double in the eighth helped Mike Mussina even his record at 3-3. The 39 year-old vet wasn’t great but did just enough in going five before a Yankee pen which included the 1-2 punch of Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera did the rest silencing the Cleveland bats.

Even Kyle Farnsworth tossed a scoreless frame K-ing one. Maybe it’s the mop but he’s actually pitched better lately. More than Girardi could say for first-year reliever LaTroy Hawkins.

What it all means is that the Yanks return home for three against the Tigers back over .500 (14-13) a game out of first where there’s a three-way tie between the Rays, Birds and Sox.

Maybe they get it going now. Just don’t expect Posada to be part of it anytime soon.