The return of Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman is officially here, as the Bruins indeed activated the 23-year-old off the injured reserve Wednesday afternoon.

The move to activate Swayman comes after two straight days of on-ice work for Swayman, and just over two weeks since Swayman suffered an ugly-looking lower-body injury in the team’s Nov. 1 win over the Penguins.

Speaking with reporters following Wednesday’s practice, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery acknowledged Swayman would be ready if needed, but that Thursday’s start will likely go to Linus Ullmark.

And Swayman’s official activation and word of Ullmark getting the nod on Thursday almost certainly circles Saturday night against the Blackhawks as Swayman’s return to action date.

“I’m gonna do everything I can to be game-ready, but I trust the medical staff here,” Swayman said Tuesday. “[Player Rehabilitation Manager] Scotty Waugh, everything he says, I’m doing to the best of my ability, and I’m gonna do everything I can to get back as soon as possible in a game.”

Swayman has captured two victories and posted an .878 save percentage through three decisions this season, and was showing signs of a turnaround from his early-season struggles in his last two outings, with a 28-of-29 win over the Red Wings on Oct. 27 and stops on all four Penguins shots faced prior to his injury on Nov. 1.

With Swayman back, the Bruins returned veteran backup Keith Kinkaid down to Providence.

The 33-year-old Kinkaid was certainly impressive in his lone appearance with the Big B’s during Swayman’s absence, with a 30-of-31 performance against the Sabres last Saturday night.

Kinkaid will rejoin a Providence crease that’s gotten fantastic contributions across the board this season, from Kinkaid to Kyle Keyser (4-0-1 with a .937 save percentage) to Brandon Bussi (4-0-0 with a .947 save percentage).