Carlos Gonzalez, his finger nearly healed after a tumor was removed, will return to the Rockies this week — but not where he left them.

Gonzalez will shift to right field when he plays his first game back Friday at Coors Field against the Minnesota Twins.

“CarGo in right is an option,” Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. “He profiles well as a right fielder — prototypical, really.”

In his first two rehab games with the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox, Gonzalez played right field in both. He was 3-for-6 in those games, with a home run, a double and three RBIs.

Gonzalez, a three-time Gold Glove winner for his defense, was scheduled to start for the Sky Sox on Wednesday night and Thursday, before returning to Denver on Friday, Weiss said.

“He’s a guy who can play anywhere,” Weiss said. “He’s a very talented outfielder. And he’s played all three.”

With Gonzalez moving to right field, it leaves the Rockies some shuffling to do.

Corey Dickerson has emerged as an above-average hitter, with a .327 average, .392 on-base percentage and .589 slugging percentage. But his defense is better suited for left field than the more demanding right.

And Charlie Blackmon, who has rotated outfield spots and was voted into the All-Star Game for the first time in his career, will likely move back to center. That’s where Blackmon started the season.

The shuffling likely would leave Drew Stubbs as the fourth outfielder.

“I’ll have to go back to mixing and matching,” Weiss said. “But I’ll find at-bats for everybody.

“It wasn’t quite as tough as it was to start the season because we still have one guy down in Cuddy (Michael Cuddyer, broken shoulder). To start the season we had six outfielders, and that was tough at times. But I’m not concerned about it. Those things have a way of working thmselves out.”

Gonzalez had a tumor — described as a “fatty mass with tentacles” by Rockies head athletic trainer Keith Dugger — removed from his left index finger on June 10 in Cleveland.

In 52 games this season, Gonzalez has struggled through a finger injury and knee tendinitis to hit .255, well below his career .296 average. But Weiss said that Gonzalez’s lengthy stint on the DL helped rest and repair his knee.

“His knee feels a lot better. That’s a silver lining,” Weiss said.

Nick Groke: ngroke@denverpost.com or twitter.com/nickgroke