Johnny Damon stood in a corridor outside the Yankees clubhouse yesterday afternoon, sounding sullen. He had just been put on the disabled list for the first time in his major league career after 131/2 seasons and 1,927 regular-season games.

“I really don’t know what I have to do now,” the outfielder said softly. “Every day in my career when I went to the ballpark, I actually felt like I could get in the game somehow. Even yesterday, I was getting ready to get my shoes on in case I needed to run for (Jason) Giambi or something late. Today there’s no way I can get in this ballgame.”

Damon sprained and bruised his left shoulder when he crashed into the left-field fence trying for a leaping catch against Boston on Friday. While the pain subsided slightly yesterday, the swelling increased.

“It’s disappointing, but I knew the team needed to get another body,” Damon said. “We just have to be smart for my sake and the team’s sake. There wasn’t much I was going to be able to do.”

Damon, hitting .319 at the top of the batting order, hopes to return on July 20.