SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Matt Duffy, the popular former Giants third baseman, has a dog now. Unlike his famously chunky cat Skeeter, who died in 2017, the 7-year-old mixed breed named Dacota weighs a proper 45 pounds.

“Whenever she gains 2 pounds, my girlfriend, Rachel, says we have to cut back on her food,” Duffy said Tuesday in his first visit to Scottsdale Stadium since spring 2016.

If all goes well for Duffy, he, Rachel and their mixed-breed will have to get used to the Texas heat. He is trying to win a job with the Rangers as a nonroster invitee.

Before he started at shortstop against the Giants on Tuesday, he said, “It’s good to see the black and orange, I guess. A lot has changed since I’ve been here.”

But not the undying affection San Francisco fans have for Duffy. They flooded social media with pleas for the Giants to re-sign him when the Rays cut him in November.

Duffy said the Giants called late in the offseason, mainly to “check in.” The conversation was brief.

The 29-year-old chose to sign with Texas on Jan. 30 for several reasons, starting with the considerable interest the Rangers showed as soon as he became a free agent.

“That was something for me that went a long way,” Duffy said. “With the (Giants’) roster construction, the turnover and a lot of uncertainty with the organization right now, I thought the picture looked a little more clear here in Texas.”

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Duffy got to know Texas manager Chris Woodward when Duffy was with the Giants and Woodward the Dodgers’ third-base coach. They chatted a lot between innings as they stood on either side of the foul line.

Duffy liked Woodward, who got a strong recommendation from Hunter Pence, who played for the Rangers last year.

“He loves what we are doing here,” Woodward told Texas writers. “He has bought into it.”

All in all, Duffy said, Texas gives him “a good combination of the potential to win and the potential to make the club and make an impact.”

Duffy struggled with foot and leg injuries in Tampa Bay after the Giants moved him in the 2016 Matt Moore trade. Duffy missed all of 2017, had a solid 2018 and played in just 46 games last year.

On Tuesday, Duffy got an ovation from Giants fans as he stepped to the plate in the first inning with two on and two outs. He grounded into a force. He went 1-for-3 and singled to start a three-run Texas rally.

Duffy still appreciates the cheers from Giants fans, who don’t seem to care that he has been away from the Giants longer than he was with them.

“It’s a good feeling to be wanted and to be loved,” he said. “It’s obviously something we care about. I’m not going to sit here and pretend it doesn’t mean a lot to be embraced by the city and the fans like they have.

“Coming back here is nothing but fond memories.”

Henry Schulman covers the Giants for The San Francsico Chronicle. Email: hschulman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hankschulman