LAKELAND, Fla. — Can Marwin Gonzalez help the Yankees become more like their latest nemesis, the Rays?

Aaron Boone hopes so.

The veteran bench player is vying for a spot on the Yankees’ roster, and Boone said he’s hoping to have a bench that lets them mirror some of what Tampa Bay does.

“Having flexible pieces and different skill sets on the bench,’’ Boone said of what the Yankees are looking for when putting together the roster. “That’s something I think Tampa [Bay] has done a really good job of. Their roster complements one another really well. I hope that’s the case with us.”

Gonzalez is among those trying to fit his way there. He homered in his first Grapefruit League game with the Yankees, as he tries to win a utility spot on the roster.

Afterwards, Gonzalez made it clear that’s what he has in mind — despite having signed a minor league contract.

“If I don’t, I would have stayed home,’’ Gonzalez said of whether he believed he’d be on the Yankees’ Opening Day roster. “If you don’t think you can do something, you stay at your house.”

Gonzalez is coming off two subpar seasons at the plate, but the Yankees are taking a chance on his versatility in the field.

He started at shortstop in the Yankees’ 5-3, rain-shortened seven-inning game to the Tigers.

Aaron Boone said he’ll be in the lineup again on Friday — this time in left field — when the Yankees play the Phillies in Clearwater, Fla.

“We’ll try to see what we’ve got here in the next couple weeks,’’ Boone said of Gonazalez, who signed with the Yankees despite having played on the 2017 Astros.

Gonzalez had by far the best season of his career at the plate that season, when the Astros took part in a sign-stealing scandal.

Asked about his back-to-back poor seasons at the plate, Boone said, “First and foremost, we want to see how he’s moving and swinging the bat. How he is physically and try making an evaluation off that. You try not to get too caught up in results.”

Gonzalez hopes his ability to play so many positions helps his chances.

“I think what I’ve been doing my whole career, being a utility player and jumping from one position to another, gets me ready,’’ Gonzalez said. “I didn’t have my best years the last two years, but I’m working to get back to my form.”

Boone said the team won’t start finalizing the bench until the final week of the spring.

In the outfield, Tim Locastro and Ender Inciarte could be backups — with Brett Gardner still unsigned.

Of Inciarte, Boone said, “He’s a guy that’s been a really good player in this league for a long time and had nagging injuries the last couple years.”

But he’s made some plays defensively this spring that have impressed the manager.

Giancarlo Stanton’s ability to play the outfield and DJ LeMahieu’s to move around the infield gives the Yankees some added flexibility.

Ben Rortvedt still isn’t swinging a bat as he recovers from an oblique strain, but the catcher has added to his defensive work and hasn’t yet been officially ruled out for Opening Day.

In addition to Rob Brantly, the Yankees have David Freitas in camp with major league experience.