TAMPA — Derek Jeter has been retired for three springs now, but his wise words live on, and something the Captain told Brett Gardner resonates with this youth-infused Yankees club.

“One of the things Derek always told me and you’d always see him do with the young guys,” Gardner told The Post on Saturday at George M. Steinbrenner Field, “he said, ‘You got to make the young guys feel comfortable. You got to make them feel like they belong because when they are comfortable, they play better. And when they play better, the team wins.’ ”

Jeter knew.

Gardner, 33, has taken on that role of veteran making the young players comfortable so they can be at their best. On Saturday, Gardner walked the walk, spending an extra 40 minutes working with Aaron Judge on hitting drills with assistant hitting coach Marcus Thames.

If Gardner succeeds, the Yankees succeed. This is the kind of stuff done quietly at home in spring training, when the rest of the team is on the road, that can make a huge difference.

Judge listened intently and offered feedback to Gardner’s words.

After making a slight adjustment, Judge lasered a line drive off the scoreboard.

Judge, 24, recently offered the same kind of comforting words to a group of younger hitters over at the minor-league complex.

“It’s giving back to the organization,” Judge said as he stood in front of the dugout on a sun-splashed day. “If everyone can feel comfortable, you play your best. That’s all we want. We’re going to win. We’re the New York Yankees, and we’re here to win. We don’t accept anything else.”

Judge is more comfortable than ever wearing the pinstripes and is off to a strong start this spring, batting .429 with two strikeouts in 14 at-bats. He will be the right fielder when the season starts.

“I’m excited,” the 6-foot-7, 282-pound Judge said. “Everybody in this organization, from the rookie-ball guys up to the 15-year veterans, are class guys that care about each other, care about the game and care about winning. It’s the best environment to be in.”

Gardner is entering his 10th major league season with the Yankees. He remembers wearing No. 91 with a spring locker sandwiched between Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano.

He is the one now with the prestigious corner locker, the one inhabited by Carlos Beltran in recent springs.

He also knows how difficult it will be in the AL this season.

“I feel like a lot of teams are pretty loaded,” Gardner said.

Veterans Beltran, A-Rod, Brian McCann and Mark Teixeira are not here this spring.

“I think the guy everybody overlooks is Tex, man,” Gardner said. “He’s been here since 2009, eight years, was an absolute gamer. He played with a broken leg when nobody knew his leg was broken. Gold Glove defense. He’s somebody we are really going to miss. Carlos, too. We’re going to miss those guys.

“But we do have a good group of young kids. The show goes on. This game doesn’t stop for anybody. If it was going to, it would have stopped when Derek or Mariano [Rivera] retired, but it didn’t stop. It goes on and the cycle continues.

“I think it’s going to be a good year. It’s going to be exciting. The future is bright. We’ve got a lot of young guys who are hungry and want to prove that they belong here.”

Don’t use the word “transition” to describe this season.

“I’ve heard that word a lot, but for us, the goal remains the same,” Gardner said. “We want to win the division, go to the playoffs and win the World Series. We’re doing all we can to get the most out of today. We’ve got an exciting group of guys. I think it’s going to be a great year.”

What is the most exciting thing Gardner is looking forward to seeing?

Gardner thought for a few seconds and answered with a smile: “It’s exciting to see Aaron Judge hit a ball 600 feet.”