SAN DIEGO — Willy Adames can’t help but be a little nervous.

After spending three-and-a-half seasons with the Brewers, Adames will return to Milwaukee for the first time since signing a seven-year, $182 million contract with the Giants last December. Adames isn’t sure what type of reception he’ll receive. He hopes the love is still there.

“I don’t know how they’re going to react,” Adames said. “I hope it’s in a positive way because they showed me a lot of love when I was there and I gave them a lot of love back.”

In all likelihood, American Family Field will shower Adames with cheers and applause when he’s introduced on Friday.

Adames first joined the Brewers on May 21, 2021 when the Tampa Bay Rays dealt him to Milwaukee, and he established himself as the second-best shortstop in franchise history behind Hall of Famer Robin Yount. Over 548 games, Adames hit 119 homers, totaled 348 RBIs and posted a .780 OPS, helping lead the Brewers to the playoffs in three of his four seasons with the team.

In 2024, Adames posted career-highs in homers (32), RBIs (112) and steals (21) en route to finishing 10th in the NL MVP voting, joining Ryan Braun and Christian Yelich as the only other Brewers in franchise history to total at least 30 homers, 100 RBIs and 20 steals in a single season.

There isn’t one specific moment that comes to mind when Adames thinks about his time in Milwaukee, but he spoke glowingly of his first season with Milwaukee.

The Brewers owned a 21-23 record the day that Adames made his debut, but Milwaukee would go 74-44 the rest of the way and win the NL Central before losing to the eventual champion Atlanta Braves in the NLDS. Adames played no small role in the magic of that season, hitting .285/.366/.521 with 20 homers and 58 RBIs over 99 games.

“Those four months that I spent there were insane,” Adames said. “It felt like every day, we were going to do something special, like I was going to do something special for the team. I felt like I was loved every day — they were showing me so much love. I felt it and I embraced that. … We had (Josh) Hader, Devin (Williams), Avisail Garcia, who I played with in Tampa. All those guys we had there, and they made me feel special.”

Adames’ return to Milwaukee will coincide with a celebration of life for Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Uecker, who died at 90 this past January. The event will take place prior to the Giants’ series finale against the Brewers on August 24 and will be hosted by Bob Costas. Adames will be dressed for the occasion, planning on wearing a pair of custom cleats that honor Uecker.

“He was one of those people that you see and make you smile right away,” Adames said. “That good vibe that he had around him all the time. His aura was unbelievable. He was such a bright light. Every time that he came into the clubhouse, everybody got in a better mood because they saw him.

“For me, it was getting that opportunity to get to know him and talk to him every day and listen to his stories. … The way that he embraced my family was something special. I’m always going to be grateful that I had those years there with him.”

Adames’ departure from Milwaukee didn’t come as a surprise. He was willing to return, but the Brewers’ brass said that Adames was likely going to command more money than the team was comfortable offering. True to that prediction, Adames’ $182 million deal would’ve been the second-largest in franchise history behind only Yelich ($215 million).

Despite losing Adames, Milwaukee enters Friday with the best record in the majors (80-48). The Brewers began August with 14 consecutive wins, and the team is on pace to win 100 games in a single season for the first time in franchise history.

Adames is happy for his former teammates, a group that’s positioning themselves to end the franchise’s World Series drought. While Adames now wears different colors, there will likely be no shortage of hugs and daps exchanged over the next three days. Adames may not know exactly how the weekend will unfold, but the love from Milwaukee’s fanbase likely remains strong.

“It’s going to be special,” Adames said.