Yankees' Paul Goldschmidt exits after three innings with sore back

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Paul Goldschmidt said he has “zero” doubt that he’ll be in the Yankees’ lineup on Opening Day.

But as former Yankees manager Joe Girardi always used to say, “Backs are tricky.”

Goldschmidt’s has been acting up in recent days, and it brought his Monday afternoon to an early end in the Yankees’ 6-5 spring training loss to the Blue Jays, the continuation of what has been Camp Cataclysm for the club as far as injuries go.

“My back’s been a little sore, so we kind of made the decision to stop there after three innings,” Goldschmidt said of himself and manager Aaron Boone. “I could have played the whole game, but in spring training, you just try to be smart. No need to kind of push through something and possibly make it a little bit more sore.”

Goldschmidt, 37, who signed a one-year, $12.5 million free-agent deal over the winter to be the Yankees’ primary first baseman, has been among the club’s offensive standouts, hitting .313 with three homers and a 1.077 OPS in 13 exhibition games. The four-time Gold Glove Award winner also has been his usual solid self in the field.

Goldschmidt, who said he will not be sent for tests, added that he has been dealing with the soreness the last “four or five days.”

“[It’s] not really getting worse but obviously is still something that was there and just thinking, ‘Is this really the time to push it?’ ” Goldschmidt said. “And I think the answer is no.”

Goldschmidt emphatically said he has “zero” concern when it comes to the season opener March 27. “It should be fine,” he said.

After Monday’s game, Boone said Goldschmidt already had a scheduled day off Tuesday and “expects” to play the first baseman in Tampa in a split-squad game against Atlanta on Wednesday.

“It was more, those first two innings were so long and he’s standing [a lot],” Boone said of the start of the game, which took nearly an hour. “He said he could keep going but I’m like, ‘No, let’s get out of there.’ I don’t think it’s anything too big.”