The New York Yankees took the field Monday missing a familiar face: Jorge Posada, the club’s proud catcher and one of its leaders, was in Alabama getting his injured right shoulder examined.

Posada was placed on the 15-day disabled list for the first time in his career, ending a remarkable run of durability at baseball’s most physically demanding position. The 36-year-old, who has caught at least 120 games in each of the past eight seasons, finally succumbed to pain in his shoulder that he had been feeling for most of the season’s first month.

“It’s kind of strange to go into the clubhouse and you don’t see him,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who helped teach Posada in the 1990s. “He’s a quiet leader. He’s a constant in the clubhouse, you like to see guys like that.”

With Posada out, Jose Molina will take over the starting catching duties. The Yankees also recalled 26-year-old Chris Stewart from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The Yankees said Posada was scheduled to visit famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. The club did not know whether Posada had yet been examined by Andrews.

New York played its series finale on Monday night against the Cleveland Indians without Posada on their active roster. It’s the first time he’s not been part on the Yankees’ active roster since Sept. 1, 1996.