Nick Bosa’s long wait to return appears to be nearing its end.

49ers general manager John Lynch said Tuesday on KNBR that the star edge rusher is “tracking well” to be back after San Francisco’s bye week. Bosa has missed the last five games, dating to Week 3, with a calf injury.

Lynch explained how the team landed on holding him out through the bye despite hope he could return as early as Week 6, and added that that decision wasn’t because of an injury setback.

“Bosa had a calf strain, and those are tough. It’s another one where you don’t want any tightness and soreness, because a reinjury keeps you out even longer," Lynch said. "Kyle was very forthright. Nick was feeling very good. He had pushed it the week prior to the Commanders game and was feeling really good. Then he went out, took it to the next level of where he was actually doing D-line drills, and he got a little sore, and I think that gave everyone pause. That’s a signal that it’s too soon. I don’t think it was a setback. It was just a reality that he wasn’t quite there at that point.

The decision was made: let’s get him through the bye week. He’s got to go through the week of practice, but he’s tracking well to be back. Now the goal is to have him back and keep him back, because he’s a difference-maker when he’s on the field.”

Bosa’s return is still not locked in, though. He still has to get through a full week of practice, and Lynch’s emphasis on keeping him back suggests the 49ers will be careful with a player who got sore the last time he ramped up.

The timing matters for a team that is 6-1 despite the injuries, but fell 29-20 to the Falcons on Sunday. The 49ers return from the bye against the Raiders, and the defensive line would get a major boost if Bosa is back for that game.