The New York Yankees have activated closer Aroldis Chapman from the disabled list prior to Wednesday night's game against the Boston Red Sox, the team announced.

Chapman has been on the disabled list since Aug. 22 as the result of left knee tendinitis. 

It's the same issue that caused him to pull out of the 2018 All-Star Game in July.

Before being sidelined, the hard-throwing lefty was enjoying yet another outstanding season. He has converted 31 of 33 save opportunities while going 3-0 with a 2.11 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in 50 appearances. He has 84 strikeouts in 47 innings, putting his 16.1 strikeouts per nine as the second-best rate of his career.

Those numbers helped him earn his fifth All-Star selection.

As dominant as he was during the first half, Chapman struggled after the All-Star break. He allowed six runs in 40 innings before the break; he matched that total in seven second-half frames. More concerning, he had walked 11 batters in those seven innings after having walked 16 during the first half.

Chapman threw a bullpen session and a simulated game this past week, leading Yankees skipper Aaron Boone to hint on Tuesday that a return was near:

New York is fortunate enough to have a stacked bullpen,. Dellin Betances, Zach Britton and David Robertson give Boone plenty of proven arms to turn to in late-game situations. Despite the abundance of shutdown relievers, having a healthy (and effective) Chapman will be vital to the Yankees' championship aspirations.

The Boston Red Sox (103-48) have a magic number of two in the division, meaning the American League East is all but wrapped up. Meanwhile, the Yankees (92-58) are in a battle with the Oakland Athletics (90-61) for the top wild-card spot.