WEST POINT — Joe Girardi’s message to his team before Opening Day will be short and simple but demanding.
“I expect your best, that’s the bottom line. I expect your best every day,’’ the Yankees manager said. “We expect to win every day and we prepare to win every day.’’
Of course, with Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson on the disabled list and nobody knowing if or when they will return, the Yankees’ best might not be enough.
Kevin Youkilis and Jayson Nix replace Rodriguez at third, Eduardo Nunez takes over for Jeter at short, Lyle Overbay and Youkilis fill in for Teixeira and Vernon Wells will play left while Brett Gardner slides to center for Granderson.
* Overbay will be added to the 40-man roster today and be part of the Opening Day roster tomorrow when the Yankees host the Red Sox.
“I have to make room for Overbay and I won’t do it until I have to do it,’’ said general manager Brian Cashman, who has to turn the 25-man roster into MLB by 3 p.m. today. “He knows he will be added.’’
Signed off the street last week after being released by the Red Sox, Overbay likely won’t be in Girardi’s starting lineup tomorrow because lefty Jon Lester will start for Boston.
That means Youkilis likely will move from third to first and Nix will start at third.
* Travis Hafner, who has averaged 65.8 games played across the past five seasons due to multiple injuries, was scratched from yesterday’s lineup against Army with what the club described as “general body stiffness.’’
Hafner, who will be the designated hitter against right-handed pitching, was injury-free during the Florida portion of spring training.
* Despite a fractured right fibula that requires him to use crutches to get around, the risk-taking Cashman was hoisted atop a mule yesterday before the game.
“I got up on one of the Army’s mules and rode it around in the parking lot,’’ said Cashman, who suffered the injury skydiving in Florida. “My uncle Peter Cashman runs the horses up here.’’
* Teixeira’s day was limited to non-baseball activities.
“They didn’t pack any of my equipment so all I did was run and rehab,’’ Teixeira said. “No grounders and no [one-handed] hitting. I will take a couple of days off and get back to those type of things on Monday.’’
Teixeira, who will open the season on the DL with a right wrist tendon problem, is slated to be examined at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
“I hope they tell me I can take [the brace] off and start strengthening it,’’ he said. “I have been trying to do as much as I can.
“I am not allowed to do too much but I am trying to push it as much as I can to get it stronger. Once this [brace] comes off you can start doing a lot more.’’
* The Yankees ended the exhibition season with a 10-5 win over Army. Melky Mesa and Brennan Boesch homered for the winners.
The Yankees have played Army 22 times and have never lost.
george.king@nypost.com