Until going down with a severe bone bruise in his right leg, Mark Teixeira was a legitimate AL MVP candidate, among the league’s leaders in homers and RBIs to go with elite defense at first base.

Teixeira’s absence doesn’t leave the Yankees without a player who should garner MVP votes, however, because Brian McCann’s steady season is one of the main reasons the Yankees are just 1 ½ games behind the AL East-leading Blue Jays and a heavy favorite to cop the top wild card spot.

Considering he was a seven-time All Star with the Braves before signing with the Yankees following the 2013 season, McCann’s first season in The Bronx was unfulfilling and led some to question the five-year, $85 million investment.

Those questions are no longer in the air because McCann not only has been a middle-of-the-order force all season, he has benefited defensively working with catching guru Gary Tuck.

“He is on pace for 30 [homers] and 100 [RBIs] — that’s what we kind of pictured him at. I know that’s a pretty tall order for a catcher because you are not going to get 650 at-bats,’’manager Joe Girardi said when asked if McCann surpassed what the Yankees thought they would get out of the 31-year-old left-handed hitter. “It’s probably been a little bit better than we expected.”

With 23 homers, which leads all catchers, and 82 RBIs in 109 games, McCann has surpassed what he did in 140 games a year ago.

“I know the league better, and this is a very good lineup to hit in,’’ said McCann, who can talk at length about teammates’ strengths, but isn’t much on tooting his own horn.

Unlike a lot of players, McCann isn’t shy about telling hitting coaches Jeff Pentland and Alan Cockrell when he feels something isn’t right with a swing that is made for Yankee Stadium. Thirty-three of McCann’s 46 homers as a Yankee have been hit at the Stadium.

“He lets you know what is going on,’’ Pentland said. “A lot of guys wait too long, and then it takes more time to get it back. Brian loves to hit.’’

With Teixeira out for possibly the rest of the regular season, the Yankees need McCann to continue what he has done at the plate.

Behind it, he is getting praise for throwing out 39 percent of would-be base stealers and for other defensive responsibilities. McCann is third among AL catchers in that caught-stealing percentage. The Blue Jays’ Russell Martin leads at 42 percent.

“You look at the staff he handles: [Masahiro] Tanaka’s out pitch is a splitter that is tough to handle, [Nathan] Eovaldi added a splitter,’’ a scout said. “[Dellin] Betances’ breaking stuff is nasty and [Andrew] Miller’s out pitch is a slider. He does a good job back there.’’

Having experienced signing a big contract and the expectations that come with it in his first year as a Yankee, CC Sabathia understood it takes time to acclimate to a unique situation.

“He is more comfortable. You come here as a free agent it can be tough. It was for me and he is a catcher,’’ Sabathia said. “It’s a demanding job and he works at it.’’

Betances pointed out McCann’s best attribute behind the plate is in dealing with the pitcher’s head.

“He tries to make sure you throw the right pitch at the right time. He gives you the confidence that you can get anybody out,’’ said Betances, who marveled at how many relievers McCann had to learn about this season.

“A lot of guys came from Triple-A that he didn’t catch in spring training. He had to learn on the go and has done a helluva job.’’

Teixeira likely wasn’t going to be the AL MVP and McCann won’t win the award, but there is no Yankee more valuable for the stretch run than McCann.