GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Tommy Pham made his first appearance in the Padres’ brown and gold Saturday against the Reds, but the excitement of being back in a game quickly gave way to frustration.

Pham went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts on what was otherwise a positive day for San Diego in a 7-3 victory over Cincinnati.

“When I step on the field, I expect to produce,” Pham said. “That’s just my mindset. Today was terrible.”

Pham’s spring debut had been postponed a week after he felt soreness in his side last weekend, though he’s still limited to designated hitter duties as he returns from a UCL sprain that he had been dealing with since late last season. He’s been throwing from 120 feet and says his elbow feels “fine,” giving him the optimism that he’ll be cleared to play the outfield before too long.

But after spending several days this week tracking pitches during bullpen sessions, Pham was itching to get some hacks in against big league pitching.

He went down swinging in the first inning against Luis Castillo, then the Reds’ All-Star right-hander fanned him again to end the second, this time stranding runners at the corners.

“I’ve got to catch up,” Pham said, referring to the days he lost dealing with his latest malady. “Last year, I felt like I didn’t drive the ball well in Spring Training and it carried over into the season. Everything I work on now, I take it serious.”

Right-hander Tejay Antone struck out Pham to end the fourth, his third strikeout of the afternoon.

“He’s just a week behind right now,” Padres manager Jayce Tingler said. “We’re six, seven games in, so the other guys have a little bit of a head start.”

Tingler was encouraged by Pham’s progression in his throwing program, though the manager seems less concerned with the number of games Pham gets in the outfield this spring than he is with his at-bat total.

“I feel confident we’re going to get there, I just don’t have the exact date on what we’re shooting for, yet,” Tingler said. “Most important are going to be his at-bats, getting his rhythm and timing, getting him back up to speed at the plate and we’ll go from there.”

Spring results typically don’t mean much unless you’re trying to win a job, something Pham doesn’t have to worry about after being brought over in a trade with the Rays in December. Don’t try telling that to Pham, however.

“They matter to me; absolutely,” Pham said. “I’m about to go work on my swing right now.”

Big blast
The biggest swing of the day came from Jorge Oña, who clubbed a two-run home run off Reds closer Raisel Iglesias that appeared to clear the green fence far behind the center-field scoreboard.

“He got it pretty good,” Tingler said.

Oña, a 23-year-old from Cuba, slashed .348/.417/.539 with five home runs and 18 RBIs in 25 games last season at Double-A Amarillo, but a shoulder injury halted his season after a month, then surgery ended it in June.

“He’s coming back off that injury, but I know he can swing the bat, I know he’s strong, I know he can run,” Tingler said. “Defensively, working with Wayne Kirby every day, Kirby has been talking about how much he’s been progressing.”

From the trainer’s room
Hudson Potts could be sidelined for a few days after reporting tightness in his hamstring Friday night. … Cal Quantrill was showing improvement after being hit with flu-like symptoms in recent days, though Tingler said a “flu bug” was going around the team, hitting one or two guys each day. “I think that’s kind of going on probably everywhere right now,” the manager said.

Up next
The Padres host the Giants at 12:10 p.m. PT Sunday, as Joey Lucchesi makes his second start of the spring. The left-hander allowed one run on one hit over two innings against the Athletics on Tuesday, walking one with one strikeout. Among those also scheduled to pitch are Emilio Pagan, Luis Perdomo and Javy Guerra. Watch the game on MLB.TV.