Dodgers will have decisions to make when outfielders return

SAN DIEGO — When the Dodgers called up Yasiel Puig and installed him in right field, the phenom unveiled one of the strongest arms of any outfielder in the major leagues.

However, with Matt Kemp expected to return to center field next week, the Dodgers tentatively plan to move Andre Ethier back to right field and move Puig to left.

Kemp is scheduled to start a rehabilitation assignment with triple-A Albuquerque on Saturday. The Dodgers hope he can play three or four games there — the first as designated hitter, the rest in center — and then rejoin the major league team.

The Dodgers hope Carl Crawford can return a week or two after Kemp does. That would leave the Dodgers with four outfielders for three spots.

The Dodgers could keep Puig in right, Kemp in center, and Crawford in left, with Ethier rotating among all three positions. Ethier has played well in center in Kemp’s absence, and he said he would be willing to play left if asked.

“Whatever is going to make this team the best,” Ethier said.

Puig played some left field in spring training. Manager Don Mattingly said he has spoken with Puig about playing there when Kemp returns.

“The young guy is more equipped to play in different spots,” Mattingly said.

Mattingly said he has not made any final decisions and would consult with coach Davey Lopes before then. For now, given a healthy outfield, Mattingly said he envisions Crawford in left and Kemp in center. Puig would rotate between left and right, and Ethier would play center when Kemp gets a day off against a tough right-hander.

Ethier did not start Friday because of a swollen left knee, the aftermath of a collision with Puig last Sunday in Pittsburgh. Mattingly said he hoped Ethier could start Saturday.

Another Gonzalez

The Dodgers dispatched three top scouts to Tijuana on Thursday to evaluate what could be their next great Cuban import.

As Puig attracts attention, the Dodgers joined other major league clubs at a showcase for Cuban right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez. The 26-year-old right-hander could soon be available to the highest bidder.

The U.S. Treasury Department has yet to provide the necessary clearance for Gonzalez, a Cuban defector, to sign with an American team. Once that clearance is obtained, Major League Baseball would declare Gonzalez a free agent.

“That’s the only thing preventing us from moving on to negotiations,” agent Jaime Torres said.

The Dodgers signed Puig for $42 million last year, just ahead of the new international signing caps imposed by MLB. However, Gonzalez is exempt because of his age and experience in Cuba’s top league.

Sunday Cap?

Chris Capuano might start on short rest Sunday. Mattingly said Capuano volunteered for the assignment, which would allow the Dodgers to avoid calling up Matt Magill or Matt Palmer from the minor leagues for a spot start.

Capuano, 34, made 84 pitches in his last start — his first since coming off the disabled list for the second time this year. Capuano has missed five weeks this season, first because of a strained calf and then because of a strained left shoulder.

The left-hander last started on three days’ rest in 2005, not counting two starts when his previous appearance came in relief. He missed all of the 2008 and 2009 seasons after ligament replacement surgery on his left elbow.

bill.shaikin@latimes.com

Twitter: @BillShaikin