ST. PETERSBURG — The Yankees’ problems run deeper than any one player can fix — and Alex Rodriguez knows it.
“I’m not here to save the day,” Rodriguez said before returning to the lineup yesterday as the DH in his customary cleanup spot. “I’m here to be part of a winning team, just as I’ve always been.”
In his first game back after missing nearly six weeks with a fractured left hand, Rodriguez produced a soft single to center and a run scored, but not a victory, as the Yankees lost to the Rays 4-3.
The loss, combined with another Orioles victory, cut the Yankees’ lead in the AL East to one game.
But Rodriguez sounded unconcerned — both for the team and his own well-being.
“Today was another step forward,” said Rodriguez, adding his hand felt fine and his timing was OK after a pair of rehab games with Class-A Tampa after getting hit by a Felix Hernandez pitch in Seattle July 24. “I liked the intensity the team played with today. I liked what I saw today a lot. The team played with a lot of energy.”
Perhaps, yet it still lacked success.
“He did OK,” said Joe Girardi, who held out hope before the game he would provide more. “You know at any point he could change the complexion of a game.”
After popping to short in his first at-bat, Rodriguez singled up the middle in the fourth, sending Robinson Cano to third and later scored on Raul Ibanez’s triple. He quickly leapt to his feet in celebration.
“I’m just excited to be back,” Rodriguez said. “It’s just fun to run around the bases, even though it was quite slow.”
Trailing by a run in the ninth, however, Rodriguez struck out against Fernando Rodney to lead off the inning.
“I had two good pitches to hit and fouled them back,” Rodriguez said. “The rest is history.”
With the way the Yankees have been playing lately, a similar statement may soon be able to be made then. As Rodriguez showed yesterday, he can’t turn around the staggering team by himself. That’s why he is looking forward to the return of Mark Teixeira (strained left calf) and a healthy Curtis Granderson (hamstring).
“I feel like big brother was away for a while,” said Rodriguez, who may also return to third base against the Rays. “We have a couple of other brothers who are coming back. I think we’re right where we want to be. We’re in first place. That’s the bottom line. That’s why you build a 10-game lead and hopefully the bad baseball is behind us.”
For one more day, at least, it wasn’t.
dan.martin@nypost.com