A Crouching Yankee No More

For most of his career, Jorge Posada has held a corner locker in spring training, along the far wall, framed on one side by a pillar and a trunk. The arrangement creates a personal nook, ideal for a catcher with lots of equipment.

Yet as Posada got ready Tuesday morning, on the first day of workouts for what might be his final spring training, he did not need his shin guards or mask. Just a bat. He taped the handle meticulously, thin white strips in a crisscross, a good grip for a hitter who goes without batting gloves.

“Sorry,” he said, after answering a question. “I’m almost done.”

He meant with the taping, of course, but the same applies to his career. Posada, who turns 40 in August, is finishing a four-year, $52.4 million contract. When he signed the deal, the extra $400,000 made him the highest-paid catcher in baseball, $100,000 more a season than Ivan Rodriguez. Now Posada is a designated hitter.

Russell Martin is expected to be the Yankees’ starting catcher, and Francisco Cervelli is the backup. The top prospects Jesus Montero and Austin Romine are nearly ready, with Gary Sanchez close behind. Posada does not expect to catch much anymore.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I will be third emergency catcher, I guess.”

Posada ranks 24th on the career list for games caught, with 1,573, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He plans to rest his surgically repaired left knee another week and then start catching bullpen sessions. But Manager Joe Girardi would not commit to having him catch in exhibition games.

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