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KANSAS CITY — It’s very likely the last image of Mariano Rivera in a Yankees uniform will have him writhing in pain on the warning track of Kauffman Stadium last night.
Diagnosed by Dr. Vincent Key, the Royals team physician, with a torn ACL in the right knee, the best closer of all time said he also has a meniscus issue after undergoing an MRI.
“At this point I don’t know,’’ a damp-eyed Rivera answered when asked if he will pitch again. “We have to fight this first.’’
The Yankees said the torn ACL was a preliminary diagnosis but one look around a somber clubhouse told a different story.
Alex Rodriguez, who witnessed Rivera stumbling on the track when his cleats skidded on the dirt while shagging a Jayson Nix batting practice fly ball, had a hard time talking about it.
But as Rodriguez stood near home plate awaiting his swings during batting practice and saw his teammate crumple, he yelled “Oh, my God. Oh, my God.’’
“It’s bad, there is no other way to put it,’’ said Derek Jeter, whose four hits weren’t enough for the Yankees to avoid a 4-3 loss to the Royals. “Mo is a vital part of the team. You don’t replace him. Other guys have to pick it up.’’
Rivera, who walked with a heavy limp in the clubhouse, said he will stay with the club before being examined by Yankees’ physician Chris Ahmad in New York.
However, he knows surgery awaits.
“The ACL is torn and some meniscus, too,’’ Rivera said. “I didn’t think it was that bad but it’s torn and I have to fix it.’’
Joe Girardi. who was among the first to race to Rivera’s side and lifted him — along with bullpen coach Mike Harkey and fellow reliever Rafael Soriano — onto the cart that took him off the field, said he needed to sleep on who would replace the all-time saves leader. Since Rafael Soriano was working the seventh and David Robertson the eighth in front of Rivera and Robertson has been splendid, Robertson seems the smart choice.
“If that’s what it is, it’s as bad as it gets,’’ Girardi said of last night’s diagnosis.
Since the career-threatening injury occurred while Rivera was shagging balls during batting practice, some will question why a 42-year-old pitcher would be doing that.
However, nobody inside the Yankees’ organization was taking that approach. Especially, Rivera.
“I don’t want it any other way. I was doing what I love to do, shagging I love to do,’’ said Rivera, who uses the activity to keep his legs strong and his mind at ease. “If I had to do it over again I would do it.’’
Since Rivera strongly hinted in spring training this was going to be his final season and that ACL surgery often takes six to eight months to recover from, there is a possibility Rivera is finished.
“I told you before the game that this game is cruel,’’ Mark Teixeira said. “It’s even more cruel. This is terrible.’’
Not only are the Yankees left to play almost five months without their late-game safety net, Rivera’s presence in the clubhouse is huge.
On the mound, well, there aren’t enough adjectives to describe what he has meant to the Yankees since taking over the closer’s role in 1997.
“I have always argued that he is the best pitcher of all time, not a reliever, the best pitcher of all time,’’ Teixeira said of Rivera, whose 608 saves top the all-time list.
The pain in the knee wasn’t as bad as what was going in Rivera’s head.
“I let the team down,’’ said Rivera, who was on the verge of tears.
But he gave no indication what his future holds.
“Whatever happens will happen, from there we will see,’’ Rivera said. “It’s another battle we have to fight.’’
A battle the Yankees will fight without a major weapon.
george.king@nypost.com