NEW YORK -- Wander Franco stood in front of his locker in the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium on Friday afternoon and delivered a declaration: “It’s time.”

Franco, who spent the past two months on the 10-day injured list after undergoing surgery on the fractured hamate bone in his right wrist, was activated ahead of a pivotal three-game series against the Yankees.

The 21-year-old switch-hitter was certainly referring to the fact that he first began a rehab assignment last month, only for it to be halted abruptly by soreness in his right hand. But, perhaps, Franco was also speaking to the position in which Tampa Bay finds itself.

The Rays have arguably the toughest schedule remaining amid a packed AL Wild Card picture, and now their superstar is back for the stretch run. Still, even he couldn’t have known how prophetic that statement would prove to be.

In his first taste of game action since July 9, Franco made an electric return to the big league stage, tallying a season-high-tying three hits, two RBIs and two runs scored to carry the Rays to a 4-2 victory over the Yankees on Friday night, bringing them within 3 1/2 games of New York (two in the loss column) in their quest for a third consecutive American League East title.

“Glad Wander’s back,” said manager Kevin Cash. “He’s a super-talented player. We were confident that it was just a matter of getting over the hump of feeling OK. His timing is pretty elite and his bat-to-ball skills, as he showed tonight, are very elite.”

Returning to the No. 2 spot in the lineup, Franco swung on the first pitch he saw from Yankees starter Frankie Montas and laced a double to the warning track in right-center field. Randy Arozarena followed his lead, launching a first-pitch double to left that brought Franco across home plate for the game’s first run in its opening frame.

Franco topped that with a two-run double in the fourth, though he had some help from the Yankees’ defense that time. Left fielder Aaron Hicks flubbed a catch in fair territory and came to a stop when the ball bounced into foul ground, thinking play would be halted. That allowed Ji-Man Choi and Yandy Díaz to score from first and second. Once again, moments later, Arozarena doubled Franco home.

“When you have a guy like him in the lineup, he makes a lot of contact, and when he does that, he gets on base a lot,” Arozarena said of Franco through interpreter Manny Navarro. “That helps the rest of the lineup be a little bit more confident when you’re up to bat.”

Starter Drew Rasmussen, who was also activated Friday (paternity list), delivered a similarly galvanizing performance on the mound. He missed his last start after his wife gave birth to their first child in the early hours of Tuesday morning, but the American League’s Pitcher of the Month carried his August dominance into his first outing of September.

Rasmussen racked up a career-high 10 strikeouts while scattering six hits across six scoreless innings, matching his second-longest start of the season in which he did not allow a run. Only three times did the Yankees manage to move a runner to second base against the righty, and in each case, Rasmussen reared back and handled the threat with ease.

With all the buzz in the sold-out ballpark centered on Yankees legend Derek Jeter, whose Hall of Fame induction was celebrated pregame, it was the shortstop from the Dominican Republic who quickly pulled focus. Jeter was one of Franco’s favorite players growing up, so it was especially meaningful for Friday to be the day of his return to the Rays. His showing turned out to be Jeter-esque.

“Some people just have it like that,” Rasmussen said of Franco. “I mean, he’s a phenomenal player, and what he does for our lineup and what he can do defensively are nothing short of amazing. … It’s great the energy he brings, the spark he gives us.”

With their spark plug guiding the way, the red-hot Rays won their fourth straight game, their ninth victory in their last 10 contests. Ready to put the injury behind him, Franco intends to help them come away with as many of their 26 games remaining as possible.

“I feel very good, thank God,” Franco said through Navarro, “and I’m glad I was able to do what I said I was going to do by helping the team win.”