Britton ‘frustrated’ with performance

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Zack Britton said he agrees with the assessment of many Yankees fans regarding his performance this season.

“Really just pitching like s--t,’’ Britton told The Post before Tuesday’s 8-4 loss to the Royals. “I’m beyond frustrated at this point. I’m not getting my body to do what I want it to, like last year and the years before that.” The trend continued in Monday’s win over the Royals, when Britton couldn’t protect a one-run lead in the ninth in a game the Yankees won in 11 innings.

With Aroldis Chapman on the injured list due to left elbow inflammation, Britton issued a two-out walk to Whit Merrifield, which was followed by a stolen base and a single by Nickey Perez that tied the score.

The left-hander was coming off three straight scoreless outings, but has given up at least a run in eight of his 16 appearances this season, dealing with command issues that might be related to the elbow surgery he underwent in spring training.

“There are a lot of reasons,’’ Britton said of his struggles. “Missing spring training was huge.”

He pointed to his last subpar season, which came after he had Achilles surgery during the offseason.

“I had COVID, then elbow surgery,’’ Britton said. “Missing reps in spring leads to an uphill battle. I’m trying to help the team in high leverage [situations]. That’s my job.”

The results have led Britton to second-guess his decision to get bone chips removed from his elbow during the spring.

He now thinks he may have been better off regaining the weight lost during his bout of COVID-19 and trying to pitch through it.

“In hindsight, maybe it was something I could have pitched with and wouldn’t have felt it,’’ Britton said.

Asked if he thought he’d get back to where he’s been, Britton said he was optimistic he would.

“I’m pretty confident I’ll get there this year,’’ Britton said. “It’s gonna be a grind.”

Britton and manager Aaron Boone pointed to his increased velocity in Monday’s outing and both felt his stuff has been getting better.

Through the first months of his comeback, though, Britton said he was “fighting with his delivery. … At some point I’ll feel normal. I thought I’d feel better by now, so I’m a little frustrated.”

The shaky season has come after the Yankees picked up Britton’s $14 million option for 2022 to prevent the lefthander from potentially opting out of his deal following last season.

The decision meant the Yankees decided to keep Britton for two years and $27 million rather than possibly see him walk.