BOSTON – The Red Sox got Manny Ramirez back in the lineup Tuesday night. The other missing piece returns Wednesday night.

First baseman Kevin Youkilis declared himself fit to return, after not playing since Sept. 15 when he was hit on the right wrist by a pitch from Chien-Ming Wang.

Youkilis, who took batting practice for the second consecutive day Tuesday, was available to pinch hit Tuesday night and is expected to start Wednesday night.

Youkilis received a cortisone shot in the wrist Friday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

“Once I got that, it just helped the healing process,” Youkilis said.

“I had swelling in the joint that wouldn’t go away. Now, hopefully it’s all subsided and I can be ready to play out the rest of the year and go into the playoffs.”

Youkilis was hitting .233 in the 63 games before the injury, lowering his average from .329 to .288.

He said he most looked forward to not having to watch games anymore.

“It’s just going out there and playing and being on the field again,” Youkilis said. “I think I’ll be a lot happier camper getting to go out and play, being able to play and not being hurt.”

Okajima returning

Left-handed reliever Hideki Okajima is scheduled to return Thursday. He threw 40 pitches in a side session Tuesday and pitching coach John Farrell reported no setbacks.

“His stuff was crisp,” Farrell said. “There were no issues in his long toss or getting loose for the work today. Today was a good work day for him. Every indication is for that right now, barring anything in the evaluation (tonight), but we don’t anticipate any setbacks at this point.” Okajima, 31, in his first season in the majors from Japan, has made a career high 64 appearances. He hasn’t pitched since Sept. 14 when he allowed two homers against the Yankees. His ERA has jumped from 1.17 to 2.28 after his last six appearances.

“There was some fatigue that we dealt with, just like other guys have had a breather during the season,” Farrell said. “This was his time. Hopefully he’ll get one or two appearances before the regular season concludes and he’ll factor in heavily, as he has all year.”

Papelbon featured in SI

Closer Jonathan Papelbon is the cover story in this week’s issue of Sports Illustrated. He’s also among 10 nominees for the DHL Delivery Man of the Year, awarded to the top relief pitcher via fan voting, which continues on MLB.com through Oct. 8.