SOTO HASN’T ALWAYS BEEN SO VERY DISCERNING AT THE PLATE

Juan Soto has come as advertised, walking five times in his first five games as a Padre without striking out once. That includes earning two free passes on Sunday in Los Angeles to overtake Ted Williams as the owner of the most walks before his 24th birthday.

Soto, though, wasn’t always so discerning at the plate, especially in rookie ball as he settled in with the Nationals organization after signing in July 2015

“I used to swing at everything,” Soto said. “They tried to get me to focus more on one pitch and one spot and concentrate more on the strike zone. Over the years I’ve gotten better at it. I came to know more of the strike zone and … I learned when to swing and not swing.”

That work began with drills in the year leading up to his first rookie-ball assignment in the Dominican Summer League. He struck out 29 times against 17 walks in 51 games that year, the only minor league season in which he fanned more than he walked.

Soto’s rookie season in the majors — when he walked 79 times against 99 strikeouts in 116 games as a 19-year-old in 2018 — was the only big-league season in which he struck out more than he walked.

Through his first 570 games in the majors, Soto is sitting on 469 walks against 414 strikeouts.

“When you start doing it, you don’t only do it in the game,” Soto said of learning to take walks. “You’re going to do it in every spot. Even when I go to the cage … I tell coaches to throw me a couple pitches for a ball so I can see it and then I start swinging. But I make sure I swing at strikes.

“If I swing at balls, I’m not taking my ‘A’ swing and every time I go out there I want to take my ‘A’ swing every time I go for the ball.”

Pomeranz stops by Drew Pomeranz

struck out two over a perfect inning Friday in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League. Returning from flexor tendon surgery last August, the 33year-old left-hander was back at Petco Park on Monday as he prepared to shift his rehab assignment to low Single-A Lake Elsinore today.

The timetable is negotiable as he’d like to at least feel like he’s able to pitch on back-to-back days, even though he doesn’t necessarily feel like he has to do it in the minors before his activation.

Friday was the first step in that endgame.

“It’s my like spring training, my first outing in spring training,” said Pomeranz, adding that he threw all of his pitches and sat 92-93 mph on a back field in Arizona. “I’m hoping to work into a rhythm. I have to be able to come back and not be like, ‘I need two days off.’ Because then I’m just putting pressure on the other guys (in the bullpen) and that’s not fair.”

While the initial prognosis indicated that Pomeranz could be ready for the start of spring training, getting over the hump has taken a bit longer as he works through pitching with the scar tissue. As he nears the finish line, Pomeranz said he believes 12 months would have been a more realistic timeline as far as returning to a game-ready status.

Pomeranz had his surgery last August.

“They call it nine months, but there’s just no way,” he said. “I’m almost at a year. I think that’s pretty good. They say you can pitch sooner, but you won’t feel great but you’re not going to hurt yourself. But you may not feel back to normal for a while.

“I can deal with pain. Pain is pain, to a certain point. I did it all last year. But I feel pretty good now, so I’m trying to stack those days.”

Notable

SS Fernando Tatis Jr. received a break in his rehab schedule on Monday as Double-A San Antonio was idle as full-season affiliates usually are on Monday. The Missions start a six-game series in Frisco today, while Triple-A El Paso starts a six-game homestand today against Sugar Land. Manager Bob Melvin said previously that Tatis would eventually advance to El Paso before returning to the majors.

• Brandon Drury started his first game at first base with the Padres on Monday, allowing Josh Bell to serve as the DH. Drury played nine games at first base with the Reds.

• Wil Myers started a third straight game in center field, all against left-handed pitching.