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Yangervis Solarte will be the Yankees' backup second baseman and third baseman to begin the season.

(Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

HOUSTON — Yangervis Solarte stood at carousel No. 3 in baggage claim at George Bush Intercontinental Airport Sunday afternoon and still could not quite believe the sequence of events.

He was back in Texas, 170 miles east of Round Rock, where he spent the last two seasons playing for the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate. But this time, for the first time, he was beginning a major-league road trip after toiling in the minor leagues for eight years since the Twins signed him out of Venezuela in 2006.

“I’m still in shock,” Solarte, 26, told The Star-Ledger in Spanish.

When Yankees manager Joe Girardi called Eduardo Nuñez into his office at George M. Steinbrenner Field Saturday afternoon, Solarte assumed the worst. He presumed Nuñez was the choice as the Yankees’ second backup infielder alongside Dean Anna, another body blow to his pursuit of the major leagues.

His initial reaction was the expected blend of emotions. Anger. Sadness. Frustration. The Venezuelan was prepared to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract for not making the 25-man roster to search for a spot on another club.

Then he thought to capitalize on an opportunity. He found a baseball and asked Derek Jeter to sign it for him.

“I didn’t know if I was going to see him again,” Solarte said, referring to the soon-to-be retired shortstop.

But when Nuñez reappeared in the clubhouse he relayed unexpected news. Nuñez told Solarte he had made the team over himself and wished Solarte luck, the words igniting goosebumps for Solarte.

Nuñez, the favorite to land the job, was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. So Tuesday, Solarte will be in a major-league uniform for the first time at Minute Maid Park against the Astros.

“I’m just happy to know all the hard work paid off,” Solarte said.

The effort included reporting to the Yankees’ complex every morning at 6:30 a.m. for extra work, sometimes with Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long in the batting cage. A super utilityman — he appeared in at least 20 games at second base, third base, shortstop, and in left field the last two seasons — Solarte carried the preparation onto the field this spring.

While displaying the unique defensive versatility, Solarte crushed baseballs in Grapefruit League play. In 24 games, he went 18-for-42 (.429) with a 1.061 on-base plus slugging percentage, two home runs and nine runs batted in.

Spring training statistics are nearly always discarded, but Solarte could not dismiss results. The meaningless exhibitions were consequential. Games in Clearwater and Bradenton and Dunedin mattered. They were auditions. He treated them as such and the Yankees brass noticed.

“We thought he won the spot in spring training,” Girardi summarized.

Solarte admits resentment swelled with each season in the minor leagues. It boiled over during the 2011 season, when the Twins did not promote him to Triple-A despite his rousing success with the Double-A affiliate.

He batted .329 with an .834 OPS in 121 games, but never received the call-up and elected free agency during the winter, even though he had settled down and bought a home in Cape Coral, Fla., near the Twins’ spring training facility in Fort Myers, with his wife. He signed with the Rangers and reported to Triple-A for the first time in his professional career.

“Sometimes it’s politics,” Solarte said. “Sometimes there are guys that get the attention as prospects and rise through the minors quickly even though they’re not producing. That didn’t happen with me.”

The Rangers never promoted Solarte to the majors. He hit .282 with a .736 OPS in two seasons with Round Rock, but did not see an opportunity to fullfill his goal so he elected free agency again this offseason. Eighteen teams showed interest, he claimed. The Yankees, with uncertainty at second base and third base, were his choice.

Now Solarte is back in Texas ready to begin his major-league career as the Yankees’ backup second baseman and third baseman to at least start the season. Waiting for his luggage Sunday at the airport, Solarte looked down at his iPad and pointed to the background photo of his two baby daughters.

“They’re my motivation,” Solarte said. “This is just the beginning. This is when the work starts.”