Padres Promote Top Prospect Ethan Salas To Triple-A El Paso

The San Diego Padres are promoting top prospect Ethan Salas to Triple-A El Paso.

Salas, Padres Mission's No. 1 prospect, went 1-for-3 Tuesday in the Double-A San Antonio Missions' 5-4 loss to the Amarillo Sod Poodles, then was promoted to the Chihuahuas, according to Chase Ford of MiLB Central.

The 20-year-old catcher has been having a terrific season for the Missions, posting a career-high slash line of .286/.361/.417 with seven homers, 37 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 72 games.

The timing also comes just days before the trade deadline, with Salas being a popular target for front offices across MLB. Could this be a precursor of a Salas trade for a big Padres return? Or is this just a chance for Salas to get time at Triple-A before possibly making his MLB debut late this year or to begin 2027?

Salas joins Blake Hunt and Anthony Vilar as El Paso's catchers. Hunt made his MLB debut this season after nine years in the minors. Rodolfo Duran, who started the year at El Paso and is currently with the Padres as a third catcher, also made his MLB debut after 11 seasons in the minors.