Clearly, Edwin Encarnacion was ready to return.

After missing the final 15 games of the regular season with a strained left oblique, Encarnacion came back for his first game since Sept. 12 and came through with a pair of hard-hit doubles in the Yankees’ 10-4 win over the Twins in Game 1 of ALDS on Friday night in The Bronx.

The Yankees’ designated hitter, who was 1-for-21 in his previous seven postseason games, finished 2-for-5 with one RBI and one run.

“I tried to do the best I could do and look for my pitch and be aggressive,” Encarnacion said. “I just tried to swing in the strike zone and had good luck today.”

When Encarnacion was acquired from Seattle on June 15, adding another power hitter seemed a low priority given the Yankees’ prolific home run-hitting lineup and shaky starting pitching. But the presence of the three-time All-Star — appearing in the postseason for the fifth straight season — in the middle of the order continues to pay off.

In just 44 regular-season games with the Yankees, Encarnacion produced 13 homers and 37 RBIs. In his first playoff game with the Yankees, no batter in the loaded lineup showcased a more intimidating swing.

“[He] is a veteran who really knows what he’s doing,” Gary Sanchez said. “He knows exactly what he needs to do to get ready.”

Though it had been unclear until recently whether the 36-year-old would be healthy enough to be included on the ALDS roster, Encarnacion immediately erased any concerns, ripping a first-inning double off Jose Berrios to left field — clocked at 111.7 miles per hour — to put runners at second and third.

Then, with the Yankees trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the third, Encarnacion arrived for his second at-bat with runners at the corners and one out. With one violent swing, the crowd erupted — then groaned — as they watched Encarnacion’s bomb to left field tail just left of the foul pole.

Berrios opted to attack the three-time All-Star again, setting Encarnacion up for another laser to left field — measured off the bat at 114.4 mph — which brought home the Yankees’ first run, and ended with the designated hitter sliding into second headfirst and pumping his fist.

“You know how it is. We’re in the playoffs,” Encarnacion said. “Everything you do is very important.”