ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Just throwing this out there:

Is it possible the rest of us are actually in a state of suspended animation at the moment, relegated to supporting roles in Gio Urshela’s fantasy?

What, you have any better theories?

The Yankees, who have been ravaged by injuries like no non-Mets team in recent memory, will come to work Saturday with the chance to take over the American League East penthouse. That’s because they won their biggest game of the season Friday night, 4-3 over the division-leading Rays at Tropicana Field, with the dramatic game-winning hit delivered by … Urshela. Who else?

“He’s probably our MVP at this point,” said Yankees reliever Adam Ottavino, who escaped a seventh-inning jam in spectacular fashion.
OK, to be fair, the answer to “Who else?” could be DJ LeMahieu, or Gary Sanchez, or Luke Voit, or Gleyber Torres. All of those guys, however, were supposed to be part of this group. The third baseman Urshela, on the other hand, was supposed to be down at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, rebuilding a career that had turned sideways after a promising start. He played far more games in the minor leagues (62) last year than he did in the big leagues (19).

Forget about mere promise. Since getting the call to replace the injured Miguel Andujar (who now has returned as primarily a designated hitter), Urshela is in full delivery mode, with the Yankees (23-15), trailing the Rays (23-14) by a mere half-game, the wise recipients.

“I feel like I’m a different hitter now,” said Urshela, who owns a .349/.409/.518 slash line in 30 games. “I try to go with that confidence every game, every situation, to help the team win.”

He helped them win yet again, continuing a remarkable week that saw him tie Tuesday night’s game against Seattle with a two-run, ninth-inning homer and contribute a huge, two-run single for insurance Thursday night against the Mariners.

In Friday’s roller-coaster affair featuring plenty of heroics and breaks, the biggest of both came in the top of the sixth, right after Yankees starting pitcher Domingo German had given back a 2-0 edge by allowing three runs in the bottom of the fifth. The Yankees loaded the bases with one out, courtesy of a rally featuring Gary Sanchez’s high pop off the top catwalk that ricocheted and evaded Rays shortstop Willy Adames, and up stepped Urshela against Tampa Bay reliever Emilio Pagan (who, in a tough break for the Rays, relieved starter Tyler Glasnow after the stud experienced tightness in his right forearm).

“I would say I tried to look for a pitch in the zone and make contact and drive in at least one run,” Urshela said.

He fell behind 0-and-2, and he fought back to 2-and-2, fouling off two pitches along the way. Then he ripped a hanging curveball for single to left field, scoring Sanchez and Clint Frazier with the tying and leading runs, generating huge cheers among the Yankees-heavy crowd as he raised his arms while standing on first base.

“I think from his first at-bats in spring training, we felt like we were seeing a guy that had the potential to swing the bat,” Aaron Boone said of Urshela, whom the Yankees acquired from the Blue Jays last August and re-signed in October.

“And he has carried it into the season. It’s just been a lot of good at-bats, a lot of getting his ‘A’ swing off and another huge hit to take back the lead tonight. He’s been great.”

And he has been far from alone. Ottavino got out of a bases-loaded, no-out spot in the seventh by striking out Tommy Pham and seeing
LeMahieu pull off a remarkable double play in which he grabbed a Ji-Man Choi bullet that hit Ottavino, stepped on second and rifled a throw across his body to first to end the threat. Tommy Kahnle, Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman each added a shutout inning in relief of German.

“We come here to fight every game,” Urshela said.

And like a dream, they win most of their fights, no matter how much adversity comes their way.