Yanks shift Sevy in push for East

While visions of a wild-card playoff preview have danced in fans’ heads this week as the Twins visit Yankee Stadium, Joe Girardi made it clear Tuesday there’s still a bigger goal at hand.

The manager bumped Luis Severino up a game in the rotation, allowing the right-hander to start three more times in the regular season — beginning with Wednesday’s series finale — if needed as the Yankees chase the Red Sox for an AL East crown.

“Our goal is still to win the division,” Girardi said. “We have clinched nothing at this point. We still have a lot of work to do in front of us. It gives us the ability to start him three more times.’’

The Yankees are three games behind Boston in the East and with a six-game cushion on the Twins for the first wild-card spot. With 11 games remaining on the schedule, any combination of nine Red Sox wins or Yankees losses would eliminate the Bombers from the AL East race.

The club had told Severino to be ready to pitch Wednesday — which he will do on regular rest — and notified him Monday that he’d start the series finale. The 23-year old is ready for the challenge.

“If I had to choose, I’d choose [Wednesday],” Severino said. “I like to pitch [every] five days. … I feel like I try to overthrow [pitching on extra rest] so I like five days more.”

Masahiro Tanaka was originally scheduled to start Wednesday.

While three more starts in the regular season would eliminate Severino from pitching a potential wild-card playoff game, Girardi said he could adjust the rotation again if the postseason picture cleared up.

But if the Yankees enter the final day of the regular season with a shot at winning the AL East, Severino would be available. He could also be in line to start a one-game playoff with the Red Sox to determine the AL East champ if the teams finished the regular season tied — a game that would be held in The Bronx courtesy of the Yankees’ 11-8 record against the Sox this season.

“We can adjust things because we have six starters and do what we feel is the right thing to do, but right now he will start [Wednesday],” Girardi said.