Padres call up prized C prospect Ethan Salas

Sep 01 (Field Level Media) - The San Diego Padres called ​up top catching prospect Ethan Salas as part of MLB roster expansion on Tuesday.

Should Salas, who turned 20 ‌in June, find himself behind the plate in a major- league game in ⁠the near future, he'll ​be the youngest catcher to ⁠do so since 1991. That is when Baseball Hall ‌of Fame member Ivan ‌Rodriguez made his debut with the Texas Rangers at ⁠19.

Salas, who is ranked as ⁠the No. 23 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, is batting .326 with three homers and 24 RBIs in 24 games with Triple-A El Paso. He joined the Chihuahuas after being promoted from Double-A San Antonio, where he hit .286 ‌with seven homers and 37 RBIs ​in 72 games in 2026.

He is expected to provide a breather for Padres catchers Luis Campusano and Freddy Fermin as the team pursues a National League wild-card berth.

"Hypothetically, he's a left-handed bat, so you could play him against right- handed pitching," Padres manager Craig Stammen said of ​Salas. "And we feel comfortable with him behind the plate defensively against ‌anybody. He proved ‌that ⁠in the last couple spring trainings."

Teams have the option of adding up to two players from the minor leagues on Sept. 1. The Padres also added right-hander Jhony Brito from ‌Triple-A El Paso.

Brito, 28, ​has a 10-8 career record with ‌a 4.20 ERA ⁠in 54 ​games (13 starts) with the New York Yankees and Padres since 2023

(--Field ​Level Media)

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