A big night for Wade, with even bigger shoes to fill

BALTIMORE — It took about a season and a half, but Tyler Wade showed why the Yankees have been so high on him despite his inability to produce since he had been in the majors.

And for a night, the absence of Gleyber Torres wasn’t so painful.

Wade hit his first major league homer and also had his first multi-hit game Wednesday in the Yankees’ 9-0 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards.

“I got a good scouting report,’’ Wade said of the ball he hit out against righthander Dylan Bundy. “I knew he’d throw a cutter.”

The homer, which was caught by a Red Sox fan and retrieved for Wade, followed a fourth-inning double.

Before that hit, Wade was just 4-for-40 on the season with a pair of doubles. He had been called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and remained with the Yankees over Brandon Drury because of his versatility on the bases and in the outfield.

He scored a go-ahead run pinch-running in Toronto, but made more of an impact Wednesday.

“At Triple-A, I worked on some things,’’ Wade said. “It’s a boost to your confidence and nice to see results. I just stayed with my approach.”

With Torres on the disabled list as a result of a strained right hip, Wade, Drury and Neil Walker had been a combined 6for-22 with three RBIs and a pair of walks.

Coupled with the loss of Gary Sanchez, the Yankees’ offense had sagged.

Before the game, Aaron Boone said he hoped Wade would snap out of his funk.

“He’s made a couple big defensive plays,’’ the manager said. “We’ve seen his speed. We hope he can help with his bat. That’s the one thing we haven’t seen up here, but we still feel he’s capable of bringing it.”

The Yankees point to Wade’s limited role earlier in the year and the fact he battled an illness when he was on the roster in April as reasons why he didn’t play up to his potential when given an opportunity.

And if Torres is able to return after the break, Wade likely isn’t dealing with much time before he’s sent back to Triple-A.

He was kept in the majors over Drury in part because of his ability to play the outfield and for his legs, which helped win the Yankees a game in Toronto, where he scored the winning run pinch-running for Greg Bird.

“I don’t worry about how long I’m going to be here,’’ Wade said. “I just think about how I can help us win every day, whether that’s off the bench or in the lineup.”