Ellsbury expected to return Wednesday

According to Brian Cashman, center fielder and leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury will be activated from the disabled list Wednesday.

“We scratched him because the fields were wet,’’ the Yankees general manager said of the playing surface Monday in Tampa, where Ellsbury was with the SingleA club. “He did some simulated stuff [ Monday] and will do it again Tuesday and be activated Wednesday.’’

Ellsbury has been out since May 19 with a sprained right knee. When he got hurt, Ellsbury was hitting .324 ( 48for148) with a .412 onbase average. In four games for the Tampa Yankees, Ellsbury was 2for13. Sunday he went 1for4 but played seven innings and scored from second on a single.

His return will shift Brett Gardner from the leadoff spot to second in the order.

➤ In a rare assessment of the Yankees, Hank Steinbrenner admitted the obvious Monday at a charity golf outing benefitting Hank’s Yanks.

“We need to be more consistent, we do. By the end of the season, we need to up our winning percentage. We need to hit more consistently and we need to pitch more. We need to do everything more,’’ Steinbrenner said of his 4437 club that led the AL East by a game going into Monday night’s action. “So far, you can’t be unhappy at this point. And every year, we’re going to keep improving and improving and improving. Try to get back to where we were in the ’ 90s.

➤ Andrew Miller threw an inning of relief, allowing two hits and striking out one, for TripleA Scranton/ WilkesBarre on Monday night in his first minor league rehab stint. Depending on how the Yankees’ closer comes through the exercise, there is a chance he will be activated Tuesday.

Miller, who is 17for17 in save chances, has been on the shelf since June 11 with a strained flexor muscle in his left forearm.