DETROIT — Giancarlo Stanton returned to the lineup Friday after missing two weeks with a strained left quad suffered at Tampa Bay.

But instead of the hot-hitting slugger they had earlier in the month, the Yankees saw Stanton strike out four times in a 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Tigers at Comerica Park.

While Stanton said the quad “felt good,’’ he added he’d “have to pace out the game a little while. It shouldn’t be too long.”

Stanton’s return was anticipated after the Yankees optioned Estevan Florial back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to open up a roster spot following Thursday’s doubleheader against Toronto in The Bronx.

Stanton said he felt the quad injury in the last game at Tampa Bay on May 13, and though at other times, he’s tried to play through something like it, he decided to be safe.

“If I push through then I add another month [to the IL stint],’’ Stanton said. “This is a simple two weeks. Luckily, it’s worked out so far. I don’t want to miss any time, but two weeks is better than longer.”

The return of Stanton had been expected to give a beaten-up lineup a bit of a boost, with Luke Voit on the 10-day IL with an oblique strain and Aaron Hicks out for the season following left wrist surgery.

“He’s doing well,’’ Aaron Boone said before the game. “It’s good to have him back [for] what he means to our lineup and how well he’s swinging the bat. He adds a little more length to the lineup, as well.”

But it hardly fixes all that ails the Yankees, who are still lacking in the outfield and continue to lean heavily on 37-year-old Brett Gardner.

Stanton was able to carry the Yankees offense for a two-week stretch earlier this season, when he went 25-for-52 during a 12-game hitting streak.

“His power is prodigious,’’ Boone said. “What’s been really impressive about him this year to me is the quality of his at-bats, going back to spring training [and] last postseason.”

Stanton tailed off before the quad injury, going just 3-for-22 with one extra-base hit, four walks and nine strikeouts in his last six games.

Boone put him back at second in the lineup, in front of Aaron Judge, where the duo had significant success when the Yankees flipped them in the order.

Aroldis Chapman, who was unavailable to close Thursday in The Bronx due to illness, pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Friday. The Yankees had been confident Chapman didn’t have COVID. Chad Green picked up the save in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader against the Blue Jays. Chapman tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

DJ LeMahieu started at first base Friday night, but Mike Ford figures to get more playing time with Voit on the 10-day IL with a strained oblique.

Ford’s production has been almost nonexistent the last two seasons, but he said he feels good at the plate.

“Obviously, the numbers on the scoreboard aren’t really there,’’ said Ford, who added he felt “really good” offensively. “A lot of the underlying [stats] are still strong.”

He pointed to things like his barrel and ground-ball rate, as well as his exit velocity as signs he wasn’t as bad as the .145 batting average he brought into the game would suggest.

Ford is just 8-for-55 with three extra-base hits and a .586 OPS in 65 plate appearances.

None of the advanced metrics, though, mask the 19 strikeouts Ford has accumulated this year.

And he joked that being away from Yankee Stadium might help while his stats are such an eyesore.

“In Texas, it was nice because [the scoreboard] is so far away, I couldn’t really see it,’’ Ford said. “At home, it’s in your face… ”

While third base coach Phil Nevin is scheduled to make his return from COVID when the Yankees return to The Bronx on Monday, his son Tyler was called up by the Orioles Friday. He was set to make his MLB debut against the White Sox, but the game was postponed by weather.