CHICAGO — Jacoby Ellsbury seemed to have a strong sense of opening day expectation as he spoke before the New York Yankees’ 6-5 win over the Chicago White Sox on Monday night.

And why not? Ellsbury, a 33-year-old outfielder from Madras, had been out of action since he suffered a concussion upon crashing into the center-field wall at Yankee Stadium on May 24.

He said he was confident he was fully recovered from the concussion, and his return could be a lift to a Yankees team that has lost 10 of its past 13 games and falling into a first-place tie with the Boston Red Sox in the American League East.

“I’m excited to be back; I’m excited to be playing,” said Ellsbury, who was 1-for-5 with two runs scored. “I’m excited to be back out there.”

Ellsbury was hitting .281 with four home runs and 14 RBIs before his injury. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that he did not expect any major health worries attached to Ellsbury’s return, though Girardi did say that Ellsbury might not play all four games against the White Sox this week.

“There’s a chance I’ll give him off one of these days,” Girardi said. “There really are no restrictions.”

Ellsbury played two rehabilitation games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre during the weekend, going 3-for-8 with two RBIs.

— New York Times