ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – As a lineup, “we’ve got to hit,’’ said Austin Wells, referencing the Yankees’ sand-in-the-gears offense to start 2026.

“We’ve got to take the pressure off these guys on the mound,’’ Wells said after the Yanks’ third straight loss, 5-3 on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays.

“We have all the opportunity and the strength to turn it around,’’ but the snapshot lately is a club that’s been out-hit 26-10 against the A’s and Rays.

In that same three-game span, they’re 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position…

…OK, that could happen at any point in a season and not look like a big deal, though Aaron Judge hasn’t had an RBI in his last 18 plate appearances.

Wells (5-for-33, .152, 0 RBI) and Jazz Chisholm (2-for-23 slide) look particularly adrift, and Ryan McMahon (2-for-29) did not start against Rays’ lefty Steven Matz.

But there is concern about the bottom part of Aaron Boone’s lineup, and let’s examine what happened in Friday’s ninth inning.

With the Yanks trailing 5-3, both Giancarlo Stanton and Amed Rosario opened with singles against right-handed Rays’ reliever Bryan Baker.

Next, Chisholm nearly rolled into a double play – with a replay challenge reversing the DP call on the field, showing Chisholm narrowly beating the relay to first.

The next two Yankee batters were righty-hitting Randal Grichuk (0-for-8 on the season but starting against the lefty Matz) and Jose Caballero (5-for-40, .125 to start the year).

On the bench, Boone had Trent Grisham, McMahon and J.C. Escarra (0-for-9 to start 2026).

He’d already used Ben Rice, who pinch-hit a solo homer in the eighth – the Yanks only runs Friday since scoring twice in the first, aided by some shoddy Rays’ defense.

Boone stuck with Grichuk, who struck out with the tying runs in scoring position (Chisholm stole second base).

Batting for Caballero, Grisham popped out to end the game.

Boone said he preferred the right-handed hitting Grichuk against Baker, who has better career stats vs. lefties (.617 OPS against) than righty batters (.695).

Baker had also retired all six lefty hitters he’d faced this year, with three strikeouts.

Had there been two out, “I might’ve gone Grisham,’’ instead of Grichuk, said Boone.

Left unsaid was the fact that Escarra and McMahon aren’t satisfactory options in a game-on-the-line situation.

So, Grichuk was a more understandable choice to hit for himself, knowing Grisham would be there to hit for Caballero.

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