Any thought that Mike Ford’s demotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre meant hard-hitting Chris Gittens was on the way to The Bronx was dashed Wednesday when the Yankees recalled right-hander Brooks Kriske to provide a fresh arm from the bullpen.

Ford was optioned after another miserable night at the plate, when he struck out three times and was removed for pinch-hitter Giancarlo Stanton on Tuesday.

The move leaves the Yankees with DJ LeMahieu and Miguel Andujar as the primary first basemen while Luke Voit is sidelined with a strained left oblique that figures to keep him on the injured list for weeks.

LeMahieu got the start at first and went hitless in Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the Rays. He would get the bulk of work there with the roster constructed the way it is now, according to manager Aaron Boone.

But that could change, depending on how much the bullpen is used in the coming days, especially with three off-days in eight days following the end of the homestand Sunday.

Finding someone to play first base has been one of the primary issues the Yankees have faced. Voit is dealing with his second injury of the season and his replacements — Jay Bruce, LeMahieu and Andujar — have mostly struggled. Even when healthy, Voit hadn’t produced anything like what he did a year ago, when he led the majors with 22 homers.

Gittens, 27, has proven he can hit in the minors and impressed during spring training. On Sunday, Aaron Boone said Gittens was “very much on our radar.”

Kriske was the only reliever available at SWB and on the 40-man roster. Another arm was needed after the bullpen threw six scoreless innings in Tuesday’s 11-inning win over the Rays, which ended with Clint Frazier’s game-winning homer.

Ford was hoping to take advantage of more playing time following Voit’s injury, but instead went 0-for-8 with a walk and six strikeouts in his last three games.

“He lost a little bit of confidence and wasn’t in a real good spot,’’ Boone said. “That can happen when you’re struggling a little bit. He has to get back to being himself and getting a rhythm going. What we saw in ‘19, he’s still capable of being that guy. It’s important he’s getting at-bats and getting a little bit of success.”

The mystery surrounding Corey Kluber’s shoulder strain continued, with Boone saying the right-hander is still “gathering information.” He has been visiting Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. ElAttrache performed arthroscopic surgery on Aaron Judge’s left shoulder in 2017.

Kluber was sidelined last season after just one inning with a shoulder strain. The Yankees signed Kluber, 35, to a one-year, $11 million deal in the offseason after Kluber rehabbed with the team’s director of health and performance, Eric Cressey.

Kluber tossed a no-hitter at Texas on May 19, but lasted just three innings in his next outing before leaving with shoulder tightness. He was expected to be shut down for four weeks and out for at least two months.

Zack Britton made his second rehab appearance and allowed a two-run homer in a 27-pitch inning for Double-A Somerset. He’s expected to make about five appearances before rejoining the Yankees’ bullpen.

Giancarlo Stanton’s single in the first inning snapped a 13 at-bat hitless streak since he returned from a strained left quad.

The Yankees helped commemorate the inaugural Lou Gehrig Day held around MLB on Wednesday. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness and funds for the research of ALS, as well as celebrate Gehrig’s legacy and those that have lost their lives to the disease and pursued cures for the disease.

There’s no bigger surprise in the Yankees bullpen than Lucas Luetge, who made the team out of spring training after not having appeared in the majors since 2015. Gerrit Cole admitted he wasn’t aware of the left-hander until they became teammates this spring.

“Coming back into the big leagues after not having pitched up here in a while, he’s turned into a high-leverage reliever for us,’’ Cole said. “I’m up to speed on [Luetge’s history] now.”

Luetge allowed runs in each of his first five outings this season. Since then, he’s given up just two unearned runs in 16 ⅓ innings over 14 appearances, walking three and striking out 15.