text: 2012 Gardner and the Yankees agreed on a $2.8 million contract for the 2012 season, avoiding arbitration. Gardner experienced an elbow injury in 2012 and was expected to return in August. On July 16, Gardner suffered a setback and his chances of missing the entire season increased. On July 24, Gardner underwent right elbow surgery, performed by Christopher S. Ahmad, to remove a bone spur and inflamed tissue. He was reactivated on September 25 after Steve Pearce and Justin Thomas were designated for assignment. Gardner played in 16 games during 2012, batting .323 with two stolen bases and three RBI.
  2013
  With Curtis Granderson having suffered a fractured right forearm during a spring training game, Gardner was moved to center field for the 2013 season. For the week of June 2–9, Gardner was named the AL Player of the Week.
  On August 11, 2013, Gardner hit his first career walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning off of Detroit Tigers reliever José Veras. The home run sealed a 5–4 victory for the Yankees, and helped give support to a struggling Mariano Rivera, who blew three consecutive save opportunities for the only time in his career. In the same series against Detroit two days earlier, Gardner made his first bailout of Rivera's pitching mishap by hitting a walk-off single past a diving Miguel Cabrera to give the Yankees a 4–3 win. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Gardner became the first Yankee since Claudell Washington in 1988 to have two walk-off hits in a span of three or fewer games. In 2013, Gardner played 145 games batting .273 with eight home runs, 33 doubles, an American League leading 10 triples, 52 RBI, and 24 stolen bases.