WASHINGTON — Masataka Yoshida has long targeted a return to the Red Sox’ lineup before the All-Star break. Now, that appears to be a reality.

Yoshida will play two more rehab games at Double-A Portland this weekend and have Monday off, manager Alex Cora said. It then might be decision time when it comes to activating him.

“He’ll DH one of them and play the outfield the next one,” Cora said. “Monday’s off, then we’ll talk about what we do. He’ll be active during the homestand. When? We don’t know.”

Cora left the door open for Yoshida, who hasn’t played yet this season due to a slow recovery from offseason labrum surgery, to return to the roster between Tuesday against Colorado and Sunday (the first-half finale) against Tampa Bay. It’s still possible Yoshida, who has gone 2-for-9 in three rehab games so far, will need more time in the minors early next week.

Whenever Yoshida does return, he’ll re-join a crowded outfield/designated hitter mix in Boston. Cora envisions Yoshida and lefty-masher Rob Refsnyder platooning at the DH position while also continuing to mix both players into the outfield alongside Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela.

Yoshida won’t start at first base but could emerge as an emergency option there. Left field is the only position he has played in the big leagues (other than DH).

“Masa’s gonna hit,” said Cora. “He’s gonna hit and he’s gonna play wherever we need him to play, whether it’s the outfield or DH. The first base thing, like I said, it’s not like we’re going to start him there. But let’s say he’s playing the outfield and we’re aggressive with pinch-hitters and in the ninth or 10th inning, he can stand there and make plays and we’ll use him. He’ll play.”

In the three weeks since the Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to the Giants, Cora has rotated the DH spot. He has started an outfielder as Boston’s DH in each of the last 14 games, with Anthony doing it seven times and Refsnyder (who is the DH Saturday) getting six appearances. The defensive upside of Abreu in right field and Rafaela in center make it hard for the Red Sox to envision unplugging either of them from the field. Anthony, Duran, Refsnyder and Yoshida will all likely get DH at-bats.

On most days, Cora acknowledged, the Red Sox might find themselves with six outfielders for four lineup spots. Refsnyder won’t play much against right-handed starters but there will be difficult decisions to make with the other five.

“Somebody’s going to sit,” Cora said. “That’s where we’re at roster-wise. It’s not a problem. It’s a luxury to be honest with you.

“That’s the reality of it. We’ve got a lot of good players. Some guys are not gonna play certain days. There’s certain lefties that aren’t gonna play against righties one day. That’s the way it’s going to be because we have lots of good players.”

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