The Boston Red Sox have quite the crowded outfield. With Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Rob Refsnyder, and rookie Kristian Campbell all seeing time in the field, finding room for the No. 1 prospect in baseball, Roman Anthony, was a struggle.

An injury that landed Abreu on the 10-day injured list was ultimately what led to Anthony’s much-anticipated promotion. But another outfielder is on track to return from injury in the near future.

In December 2022, the Red Sox signed Masataka Yoshida to a five-year $90M contract. Yoshida primarily played left field in 2023, and served as the team’s primary DH last season, slashing .280/.349/.415 with a .765 OPS in 108 games.

Prior to this season, Red Sox manager Alex Cora made clear that his plan for Yoshida was to utilize the 31-year-old in the outfield again. Up to this point in the season, Yoshida has been unable to play as he recovers from shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum.

On Tuesday, Yoshida offered an insight into his timeline to return to action via a beat reporter.

“Yoshida said (he) had cortisone shot a couple of weeks ago and is now throwing out to 105 feet,” Rob Bradford of WEEI posted on Twitter. “Feels a lot better. Said realistic goal is to be able go on rehab assignment later this month or early next month.”

It is not clear at this time where, or how often, Yoshida will play. Some have speculated that he could return to DH if and when Rafael Devers plays the field. This is the first update on Yoshida’s timeline to return since the start of the season.