Ethan Salas Spent All of 2026 Realizing His Potential, Setting Up A Bright Padres Future

[Steve Drumwright]

To think about where Ethan Salas was a year ago to where he is now is almost impossible to imagine. But that only speaks to the special talent that is the 20-year-old catcher for the San Diego Padres.

Entering last offseason, Salas had missed all but 10 games of the season for the Double-A San Antonio Missions due to a stress reaction in his low back. Missing all of that time, combined with struggles his previous year offensively with the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps, caused him to tumble out of most top-100 prospect lists.

Salas had been the No. 1 international prospect to sign in the 2023 class and made his pro debut in full-season ball as a 16-year-old (he turned 17 just two days later). He was as high as the No. 8 prospect in baseball entering the 2024 season. But the back injury in 2025 had some questioning whether he was rushed by the Padres or just overwhelmed by pro ball.

In 2026, he answered that—resoundingly. Salas turned in a season to remember in the minors, first at Double-A San Antonio, then with the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas. Between the two stops, Salas put up a .296/.374/.448 slash line with 10 homers and 63 RBIs, all personal bests in his young career. He had a brief stint on the injured list with a minor oblique strain, then represented the Friars in the Futures Game for the second time. The Padres, in the midst of an intense battle for a postseason spot, ultimately called up Salas when rosters expanded on Sept. 1.

From his first at-bat, when he flew out to the warning track in Cincinnati, through the Padres’ postseason run, Salas never looked overmatched. Sure, some of his at-bats didn’t look good, but he handled things extremely well. Catcher is a tough position to make a living at as a young player. Salas is the youngest big-league catcher since Ivan Rodriguez was 19 years, 309 days when he debuted in 1991 (Salas was 20 years, 93 days old for his first game). He was also the youngest catcher to play in MLB postseason history.

Salas, known for his terrific defense, was named MLB Pipeline’s minor-league Defensive Player of the Year. Most of that was on display upon his call-up. While he didn’t have the playing time with the Padres to rank on Statcast, his pop time of 1.86 seconds was tremendous. However, that didn’t translate into cutting down baserunners. Opponents were 6-for-6 in stealing bases in the regular season and 2-for-2 in the postseason. But that only comprises a 12-game sample from the 20-year-old.

Offensively, Salas was rather average, which is just fine considering his role and age. The left-handed hitter had a .256/.275/.462 slash line in 16 games during the regular season, including a two-homer game at Coors Field. He had an OPS+ of 101 (100 is considered average). He had an average exit velocity of 90.1 mph in the majors, maxing out at 108.3. His high at Triple-A this year was 108.4 mph.

He shared time behind the plate with Freddy Fermin and Luis Campusano after his call-up. Fermin is a defensive specialist who is up for an NL Gold Glove but struggles hitting (.203/.274/.315, 65 OPS+), while Campusano made strides defensively but is more offense-first (.265/.363/.433, 122 OPS+).

What makes Salas so enticing is that he should be excellent at the plate as well as behind it. There were glimpses of his offensive potential in September and even the postseason. The defense needs a little fine-tuning, which feels more like tightening the bolts instead of replacing the brakes. Salas, at least initially, won’t be a big home run hitter, but he will sting the ball to the gaps; he seemed to use more of the field as he moved up the ladder. His speed is also an asset and will be until his knees start to give out due to catching. His offensive production will already deepen the Padres' lineup entering 2027.

Despite his age—or perhaps because of it—he was embraced by his teammates and he handled veteran pitchers in key games, including becoming Nick Pivetta's personal catcher.

Salas is a lock for the Opening Day roster in 2027 and the No. 1 catcher moving forward. How the Padres decide to shake out their catching situation—they're certainly unlikely to go with three backstops for an entire regular season—will happen over the offseason. The guess here is that Campusano sticks and Fermin is traded.

Because at this point, Salas is the real deal and deserves to be built around. At least, that's what he proved in 2026.

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