OAKLAND, Calif. — Juan Soto walked up to manager Aaron Boone midgame and told him the injured left knee that had kept him out of the starting lineup felt good enough to let the New York Yankees bat once if a key moment came.

That happened in the 10th inning and Soto hit an RBI double to help the Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics 4-2 on Friday night.

“It was great — like a showman,” starter Gerrit Cole said. “He loves the moment. He loves it.”

Soto was pulled from the starting lineup because his knee was sore and swollen, a day after he injured it when he slid into a concrete wall while catching a ball in Seattle.

After an X-ray early Friday morning showed no serious injury, Soto received treatment and spent time in the batting cage and did squats before the game to ensure his knee was good enough to play.

“It responded pretty well,” he said. “So throughout the game I felt good. It wasn’t painful or anything after all the work we put in. That’s when I knew I had a good chance to be an option.”

His time came in the 10th inning. Boone didn’t want to use Soto to start the inning with the automatic runner on second, because he thought the A’s would just let him walk in that situation.

But after Anthony Rizzo led off the inning with a single that put runners at the corners, Boone didn’t hesitate.

“Once we got the first and third, I wanted to take my chance right away,” he said.

A passed ball from Shea Langeliers scored the deciding run and Soto hit an RBI double to the other side of the field, giving the Yankees a 3-1 lead.

It provided a happy ending to a day that started with some concerns, which only disappeared when the X-ray showed that Soto was better again.

“It’s always scary,” Soto said. “It’s always part of it. We were definitely hoping for the best. But anything can happen. When I saw that it was negative, it was a relief.”

Soto injured his leg Thursday in Seattle when he slid into the short wall in foul territory down the right-field line while making a highlight-reel catch. He remained in the game but had swelling Friday.

Boone said before the game that he wasn’t “overly concerned” that the injury would linger into the postseason. The Yankees clinched a playoff spot on Wednesday night and lead Baltimore by four games in the AL East with eight games remaining.

Soto said he didn’t want to be sidelined with the division still on the line, and said he could be in Saturday’s lineup if his knee feels good in the morning.

Soto is hitting .288 with 40 homers and 104 RBIs in his first season with the Yankees. Soto is second in the majors with 125 walks, 285 starts and a .419 on-base percentage, trailing only teammate Aaron Judge in all three categories. Soto is third in the majors with 120 runs scored.

Soto sat out three games in June due to an inflammation in his left forearm.