Yasiel Puig reports no problems in return to Dodgers lineup

Yasiel Puig smiled Saturday night when told he looked as if he lost weight.

“Lipo,” he joked.

Puig’s return to the Dodgers in a 2-1 victory over the San Diego Padres was something of a minor triumph.

In his first game back from the disabled list, Puig played nine innings in right field and recorded the final out. He was one for three with a single.

“I felt really good,” Puig said in Spanish.

The Dodgers will have to take Puig at his word.

When Puig ran, he did so at what was clearly less than full speed.

“There were no moments that called for me to run at 100%,” Puig explained, emphasizing his point by reciting the outcomes of his three at-bats.

“Playing with more intelligence,” he added.

Manager Don Mattingly also noticed that Puig ran with restraint, but downplayed his concern.

“I’m not trying to analyze that, honestly,” Mattingly said. “Just trying to win a game tonight. But it is something that everybody looks at.”

With Scott Van Slyke sidelined with a swollen wrist, the Dodgers could be forced to turn to Puig to round out their 25-man roster for their National League division series against the New York Mets.

Puig said he would be open to a reserve role.

“Trying to beat the Mets, going on to beat the other teams we’ll encounter, winning the World Series, that’s what most important, not whether I play or not,” Puig said.

Follow Dylan Hernandez on Twitter @dylanohernandez