ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — So much for a day off.

Harrison Bader, though out of the Yankees’ starting lineup Saturday, came in to save the day before it was too late, giving his team some much-needed life.

In his second at-bat after entering the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, Bader delivered a two-run bloop single in the eighth to lift the Yankees to a 3-2 win over the Rays at a noisy Tropicana Field.

It was the second straight day in which the Yankees’ shorthanded lineup received a shot in the arm from Bader, who was scheduled to have the day off Saturday as part of his buildup after he missed the first month of the season with a strained oblique.

On Friday, he crushed a game-tying, three-run homer before the Rays came back to win the game.

But on Saturday, Bader’s big hit provided the lead and Ian Hamilton recorded his first career save in the ninth to secure the Yankees’ first win this season when trailing after the seventh inning. They had been 0-14 coming in.

“We stuck with it, stayed confident and found some ways to sneak in there to get rolling,” Bader said. “It’s just a really good team win to bounce back off [Friday] night. That’s what this team’s made of.”

The Yankees (18-16) pulled back within single digits of the first-place Rays (27-7) in the AL East and now trail by nine games. They also have a chance to win the series on Sunday with Gerrit Cole on the mound.

The postgame clubhouse was a lively one, and while manager Aaron Boone pointed out that it may have had to do with the team watching the running of the Kentucky Derby minutes after they came off the field, the win also allowed them to breathe a little easier during a tough stretch.

Bader’s return has certainly helped. At a time when the Yankees are still beat up by injuries, Bader has made an instant impact with his glove, bat and energy.

“I think there is a joy that he plays the game with that I do feel like is a little bit infectious,” Boone said.

Bader also picked a good spot for both of his hits on Saturday.

Fitting for what started as a day off, Bader described each of his two bloop singles to shallow right field as “a little wedge shot.” The first went to waste, as the Yankees, trailing 2-0, could not capitalize on putting runners on first and second with no outs in the seventh inning.

But they got another crack in the eighth off the Rays’ bullpen after back-to-back one-out singles from Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres.

DJ LeMahieu came up next and sprayed a double to right field off reliever Kevin Kelly to pull the Yankees within 2-1. It was their first hit with runners in scoring position after they began the day 0-for-6.

Bader then pounced on the first pitch from Kelly (just as he had in the seventh off Jalen Beeks) and singled to almost exactly the same spot, driving in both runs for the 3-2 lead.

“I was kidding him, I said, ‘You couldn’t lob them out there any better than that today,’” Boone said. “A day off and you lob a couple out there like that and a couple RBIs. He’s a lot of fun to be around. He loves to play the game, he loves to compete.”

The Rays had jumped ahead 2-0 on Domingo German in the first inning, and with right-hander Drew Rasmussen cruising early, Tampa Bay looked to be on its way to improving to 23-0 when scoring first.

But the Yankees put up a late fight for the second straight game, and this time it was enough to take down the Rays.

“We’re fighting and we’re just finding our stride, which is completely normal,” Bader said. “It’s the early part of the season and if this is the worst baseball we’ll play all year, I think we’re in a really good spot. We’re playing confidently and wins like this definitely create some momentum for us going into [Sunday].”