Aaron Boone might regret playing this card, but the Yankees manager is using his so-called ace and handing the ball to Luis Severino for a do-or-die game against the A’s. J.A. Happ and Masahiro Tanaka are in sharper form and seemed to be better options.

Severino posted a 6.23 ERA in two starts against the A’s this season. He won in The Bronx in May, allowing one earned run in six innings, but was battered for five earned runs in two⅔ innings in Oakland on Sept. 5. Severino failed to survive the first inning in last year’s AL wild-card start against Minnesota.

The A’s will open with reliever Liam Hendriks, who pitched seven shutout innings in his past seven abbreviated starts, and use their entire staff. Oakland’s offense is led by Khris Davis, the MLB home run leader with 48. The fearless A’s are a 97-win team and a disrespected underdog at this price.

If the Yankees advance, Boone’s gamble will have paid off. Either way, the winner of this wild-card game should be a good bet to beat Boston, which has a fragile starting rotation, in the ALDS.

The play: A’s (+170) over Yankees.