SAN DIEGO — Wilmer Flores was willing to give it a go.

After missing the Mets’ previous four starts with a sprained right ankle sustained Monday in Los Angeles, the rookie third baseman returned to the lineup last night, but was expected to be under surveillance.

“I don’t think he’s 100 percent, but he can play,” manager Terry Collins said before the Mets’ 8-2 loss to the Padres last night.

Flores (1-for-4) ran the bases before Friday’s game and was deemed satisfactory for last night’s start. Josh Satin, who had started the previous three games at third base, returned to the bench.

“Certainly the issue is whether [Flores] can cut and stop and start,” Collins said. “That’s the pressure it puts on your ankle. We had him run the bases and he showed he was fine — he’s not a blazer — so I’m not worried about him losing a lot of speed. It’s making sure he can stop and start.”

* John Buck arrived in New York around 5:45 a.m. yesterday, in time for the birth of his son, Bentley Ryan, about four hours later. Buck will remain in New York with his wife, Brooke, and three children through the remainder of this road trip that concludes tomorrow in Minnesota.

* Travis d’Arnaud, who went 0-for-2, became the sixth Mets player to make his major league debut this season, joining Flores, Zack Wheeler, Gonzalez Germen, Juan Lagares and Scott Rice.

“You love the effort, the enthusiasm, the hustle,” Collins said. “This is the time of year you bring young players up and it instills some energy in your team.”

* The Mets will have three bobblehead giveaways over five nights on their next homestand. On Friday, fans purchasing a special Social Media ticket for $35 at Mets.com/jaybobble will receive a Jay Horwitz bobblehead with part of the proceeds going toward “Hope Shines for Shannon.” Horwitz has been the Mets director of media relations for the last 34 seasons.