SAN FRANCISCO -- Padres manager Bob Melvin returned to the dugout on Friday for the start of the team's three-game series against the Giants at Oracle Park.

Melvin didn't want to make a big deal of his return nine days after prostate surgery, telling the media before the game, “I tried to slink out of here and now I'm trying to slink on back.”

“It went well,” Melvin said. “That's what I can share with you. I'm glad I'm back, it was miserable being away.”

He added that he wanted to recognize the people at UC San Diego where he had his surgery: “It's inspiring to meet people who care about people so much.”

Melvin missed the first two series in Atlanta and Philadelphia on the team's road trip after the surgery on May 11.

Bench coach Ryan Christenson took the helm in Melvin's absence. From afar, Melvin had input in the team's bigger-picture decision-making, including the alignment of its rotation.

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Christenson had been responsible for the team's in-game decisions and guided the Padres to a 6-3 record with Melvin sidelined. (That mark includes a few games on the previous homestand that Melvin couldn't manage because he was experiencing symptoms.)

"Being in that seat and experiencing what it's like for a week to make these decisions ... [I'm just trying] to continue to be that same presence in the dugout that Bob provides," Christenson said. "That calming presence -- not too high, not too low."

The Padres hired Melvin away from the Oakland A’s in October after a disappointing end to their 2021 season. He has led the team to a hot start, contending for the top spot in the National League, even with a struggling offense that is missing superstar shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr.