Gonzalez will finally return to Rockies on Friday

Colorado Rockies’ outfielder Carlos Gonzalez hasn’t played in a major league game since May. He had an issue with his right index finger which while it sounds simple enough to fix, it ended up being much more complicated.

Gonzalez went on the disabled list June tenth and then had exploratory surgery done on the growing and irritating mass on his finger. It was at first believed to be a splinter or finger nail surrounded by a soft mass of tissue. The surgery uncovered a tumor that had to be removed.

Gonzalez then had to rest and rehab which probably was not a bad thing for the left fielder as he has been suffering from knee tendinitis since the middle of last season.

So far he has played in two rehab games getting a home run and three RBI. He will play in one more game Thursday before returning to the Rockies on Friday, where the left fielder may play in right field instead. Manager Walt Weiss said Wednesday,

“CarGo in right is an option. He profiles well as a right fielder — prototypical, really. He’s a guy who can play anywhere,” he’s a very talented outfielder. And he’s played all three.”

Before going on the disabled list Gonzalez was hitting .255 in 52 games with the Rockies this season, 41 points below his career average. Certainly having his finger healthy could very well help bring his average back up to where it should be.