BOSTON — For Masataka Yoshida, the end of a long road to recovery is finally in sight.

Yoshida, who has experienced multiple setbacks as he worked his way back from October surgery to repair a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, is expected to go on a rehab assignment early next week, perhaps as soon as Tuesday with Triple-A Worcester. For the 31-year-old, it’ll mark the first game action since spring training, when Yoshida served as a DH in 11 Grapefruit League games. Now, the plan is for Yoshida to both hit and play the outfield as soon as his rehab stint starts, according to manager Alex Cora.

“Just for me, being able to go back out there as an outfielder, that was my goal when I decided to get the surgery,” Yoshida said through translator Yutaro Yamaguchi. “So I’m just working towards that goal right now.”

Yoshida served almost exclusively as Boston’s designated hitter in 2024, getting into the field for just one inning in emergency duty during an extra-innings game in April. It later surfaced that the Red Sox, in addition to having a crowded outfield mix, were also wary of Yoshida’s ongoing shoulder problems. He underwent surgery on October 3 and was hopeful to be ready for Opening Day, but recurring pain while ramping up his throwing program repeatedly slowed Yoshida’s progress. A cortisone shot in early May led to a smoother progression in recent weeks.

“It’s been a little bit longer than I expected,” said Yoshida. “My goal was to be ready by Opening Day when I got the surgery, but it’s been a long process. But overall, I think I’m in good shape and ready to go.”

At-bats, obviously, are easier to find for Yoshida with Rafael Devers traded to the Giants. Still, Boston will face a crowded outfield/DH mix with Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Rob Refsnyder and Yoshida all healthy. Cora has previously hinted at a Refsnyder/Yoshida platoon at DH when the club gets back to full strength. In any role, Cora believes, Yoshida — who has a career .775 OPS in 248 big league games — will provide a boost to a scuffling lineup.

“You add him and Alex (Bregman) and we get two really good at-bats,” Cora said. “We saw it in spring training, when they were playing together at one point. It was J.D. (Jarren Duran), Alex and Masa and the line was moving. We expect the same thing when they get back.”

Yoshida said his goal is to return before the All-Star break, which begins July 14 (two weeks from Monday). How Yoshida feels in the batter’s box at Triple-A will determine when he’s activated.

“I talked to him today about how he sees it,” Cora said. “I think he’ll let us know. Obviously, you can have all the at-bats with the machine but at the end of the day, getting in the box is one thing and getting into the box at the big-league level is another. The thing I’m comfortable with is that it’s not a complicated swing. It’s someone that controls the strike zone and a veteran guy who knows what he needs to do in the box. If it’s soon, it’s soon. If it’s later, it’s later.”

Yoshida took live at-bats in Fort Myers in April and May but has not faced live pitching since relocating to Boston in recent weeks. He has taken plenty of reps on the team’s Trajekt machine at Fenway Park but game action is a different story.

“After spring training, it’s been a while since I faced live pitchers, but I’ve been using Trajekt, hitting off of it, and trying to get my timing done,” Yoshida said. “I think it just comes down to getting myself adjusted to major league pitching at the end of the day.”