Yankees LF Damon injures shoulder

Jul 4, 2008 - 11:52 PM BRONX, New York (Ticker) -- New York Yankees left fielder Johnny Damon suffered a contusion and sprain of his left shoulder during Friday's 6-4 loss against the Boston Red Sox.

Damon suffered the injury in the top of the third inning, when he crashed into the wall while trying to catch a triple by Boston's Kevin Youkilis. He initially appeared to make the catch, but the ball bounced out of his glove and landed on top of the wall, allowing two runs to score.

Damon, who has been bothered by a sore left arch recently, jogged off the field under his own power. He was replaced in left field by rookie Brett Gardner.

An MRI confirmed the contusion and sprain to the AC joint, but X-rays were negative and Damon is listed as day-to-day. He will be re-evaluated on Saturday.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Damon will not play on Saturday.

"I think the big thing is tomorrow to see how sore he is, to see what type of range of motion he has," Girardi said. "You say he's day-to-day but tomorrow is a big day to see how he feels.

New York can ill afford to lose Damon, as outfielder Hideki Matsui currently is on the disabled list with a sore left knee.

"Johnny's played great for us and obviously we miss Matsui and we'd miss Johnny Damon," Girardi added. "You keep your fingers crossed that it's a day-to-day sort of thing and it's nothing more than that."