MLB

Yankees fall to Jays in Jeter’s return; A-Rod hits No. 650

TORONTO — If the Yankees had another option, Phil Hughes would have been deleted from the starting rotation a long time ago.

Now, even though the limited alternatives are long relievers David Huff and Adam Warren — neither of whom are stretched out enough — the Yankees may be forced to turn to one of them as they attempt to stay relevant in the chase for the second AL wild-card ticket.

The Yankees were slightly encouraged by Hughes’ previous two outings in which he went 0-1 with a 3.76 ERA. He hadn’t won since July 2, but there were small signs of improvement and the Yankees hoped Hughes could end a nightmare season and help down the stretch.

That hope vanished through the open Rogers Centre roof last night when the lowly Blue Jays punished Hughes on the way to a 5-2 victory in front of 35,241.

The Yankees, who started the game 3 ½ lengths behind the A’s in the wild-card race, have dropped three of four after winning 10 of 12.

Facing a Blue Jays lineup that housed five players who spent time in the minors this season, Hughes went 4 ²/₃ innings, allowed five runs (four earned thanks to Ichiro Suzuki’s costly error in a three-run fifth), seven hits and walked three (one intentionally).

Hughes is 0-6 with a 5.84 ERA in his past nine starts and 4-13 overall heading into surely what will be the final month of his Yankees career that started with so much hope as a first-round pick in 2004 and will end in nightmarish fashion.

Derek Jeter returned from the disabled list for the third time this season and went hitless in three at-bats with a walk.

The Yankees scored first off R.A. Dickey (10-12) in the opening inning and Alex Rodriguez added career home run No. 650 in the fifth to tie the score, 2-2. But that was the extent of the Yankees scoring. In the last four games, they have scored nine runs.

Rodriguez was heavily booed during each at-bat and went 1-for-4 and fanned twice.

The Blue Jays victory was their second in 14 games this season against the Yankees, who swept four from them last week in The Bronx.

Hughes got hit hard in the fifth when the Blue Jays broke a 2-2 tie and scored three runs, but the pitcher was hurt by Suzuki’s inability to catch a fly ball on the right-field warning track.

Jose Reyes opened with a single to right and moved to third on a single by Ryan Goins. Edwin Encarnacion lofted a fly to deep right that Suzuki caught up to on the warning track. What should have been a sacrifice fly for the second out turned into a run-scoring error when the ball glanced off Suzuki’s glove.

Adam Lind followed with an RBI single that upped the Blue Jays’ lead to 4-2. Brett Lawrie was walked intentionally in front of Moises Sierra’s sacrifice fly that increased the advantage to 5-2.

David Huff replaced Hughes and stranded two by whiffing Josh Thole.

Hughes’ season-long inability to finish hitters off hurt him in the second inning when the Blue Jays tied the score, 1-1.

Lawrie led off with a single and Sierra drew a walk. Robinson Cano turned Thole’s ground ball into a tag-and-throw double play as Lawrie advanced to third.

Ahead of rookie Kevin Pillar, 1-2, Hughes’ 83-mph off-speed pitch was blooped into center for a single that scored Lawrie.

Encarnacion’s single to left plated Reyes in the third when the Blue Jays went ahead, 2-1.

george.king@nypost.com