He could have walked back his words, laughed off an offseason tweet as a fanciful lark and echoed the keeping-my-head-down generics that so many have refined.

But Tyler Wade, a top Yankees prospect with aspirations much higher than that billing, doesn’t regret a word. Four months ago, the Yankees’ ostensible Triple-A shortstop declared that a World Series ring is the goal for this season — “Big things on my mind for 2017” he wrote with a picture of a ring, not the wedding variety. This week Wade expressed the same kind of confidence, saying the target hasn’t changed for 2017.

“Absolutely,” Wade said over the phone. “That’s always the goal, getting that ring. That was kind of an excitement thing, you’ve got all these guys just talking about it. That’s definitely the goal. … I think we’ve got a great team to do that with and a great group of guys in the clubhouse.”

The clubhouse for now belongs to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, but he was referring to the one he wants to join. Wade, a 22-year-old from California, is watching the youth movement take hold in The Bronx and is itching to a part of it.

Didi Gregorius’ right shoulder nearly made that a reality. The Yankees delayed Wade’s promotion — they would have had to add him to the 40-man roster — instead sticking with Pete Kozma (who was designated for assignment Friday) and Ronald Torreyes. Wade, handling Triple-A to the tune of a .314/.372/.357 slash line and seven steals entering Friday, knew his time was close during an impressive spring training.

“I was in the talks for a little bit,” Wade said. “I competed every day. Nothing really changed at spring training. I came in at camp from Day 1 trying to win a job. … Things needed to happen for me to get the job, but right now, I’m happy where I’m at. I’m still working to get to New York and win a job.”

If Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge and Greg Bird have brought the bats to the bigs, Wade and outfielder Clint Frazier may be bringing the personalities. Triple-A manager Al Pedrique singled out Wade as a leader, a bundle of energy the Yankees plan to use all over the diamond. Wade has been constrained this year to his longtime position of shortstop and second base because the Yankees wanted him ready if another shortstop went down.

But with Gregorius returning, and without a call to Wade, he’ll now add third base, center field and left field to his arsenal, expanding ever since Gleyber Torres was acquired as the Yankees’ shortstop of the future.

“You look at the guys like Ben Zobrist or Brock Holt, really successful guys in that utility role,” Wade offered as guys he would like to emulate. “They’ve been on a couple championship teams. Those guys are very well-rounded athletes, and I feel like a couple good guys to model your game after.”

The 2013 fourth-round pick swiped 27 bags last year at Double-A, and has climbed steadily through the Yankees system with killer speed, a careful eye (which Pedrique raved about) and virtually no power (nine homers in nearly 2,000 minor league plate appearances). The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Wade envisions himself providing some diversity to the Yankees: a sure-handed fielder with great range who can worry opposing pitchers on the basepaths.

“I like to bring excitement to the game,” said Wade, whom Baseball Prospectus ranked as the 101st-best prospect in baseball entering the season. “I think with the speed that I have, [it] brings a little bit more excitement, puts a lot of pressure on people. I think that’s exciting to watch. Even as a fan, when you watch a game, you see guys like Billy Hamilton or Dee Gordon – I’m not saying I compare to them – but guys that can run, it kind of changes the way the game goes.”

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Wade is banging on the proverbial door, but doesn’t know when it will open. Playing alongside Frazier and Dustin Fowler, Wade admitted there are dreams spoken aloud in the dugout about the youth storming the Yankees.

“Coming up in the minor leagues, there’s clubhouse talk, locker-room talk, however you want to put it,” the left-handed hitter said. “When you have this team chemistry in the minor leagues and you all come up to the big leagues together, it kind of is a sense of pride and camaraderie, and I think it’s going to be a really special time when all of us are up there with Judge, Bird and all these homegrown guys.”

His words and his bat suggest he’s ready, but for where? At shortstop, Gregorius blocks him now and Torres figures to in the future. He is an emergency option seemingly everywhere.

“I would like to say this kid’s going to be in the big leagues in a month or two, and everything has to be put into consideration, but he’s headed the right direction,” Pedrique said.

“Hopefully that day comes soon,” Wade said.