Ethan Salas has gone from a prospect whose stock was wobbling to one of the hottest names in the minors again, and his latest surge is happening where it matters most: Triple-A.
The Padres’ teenage catcher has needed a reset. After the hype that followed his arrival as the No. 1 prospect in the 2023 international free agency class, Salas signed with San Diego for $5.6 million and quickly showed why the buzz was so loud. In his first season in the system, he hit .248/.331/.421 with a .752 OPS in 66 games across three levels, enough to push him into the top 10 prospects in baseball entering 2024.
Then came the slide. Salas spent 113 games with San Diego’s High-A club and never posted an OPS above .600, a stretch that sent his stock tumbling into the mid-30s to 40s heading into 2025. Last year brought another setback, as a stress fracture in his back limited him to 10 games in Double-A, where he put up a .544 OPS.
But Salas has answered this season the way top prospects are supposed to. The 19-year-old began the year back in Double-A and produced 74 hits, 14 stolen bases and a .778 OPS in 72 games, reestablishing himself among the best prospects in the sport. Then, just before the end of July, San Diego bumped him to Triple-A.
He has wasted no time making the jump look easy. In 11 games for the El Paso Chihuahuas, Salas opened with three hits and two RBIs in his first game and has kept rolling since. He is slashing .326/.404/.605 with a 1.009 OPS at the level, the kind of production that makes a big league call-up feel much closer than it once did.
That rebound has Salas sitting at No. 30 on the prospect rankings now, with room to climb again by season’s end. And for a Padres organization that has spent years hanging on to him despite being aggressive at the trade deadline, the patience suddenly looks a lot more promising.
The big-league path is there, though the Padres do have catching decisions to sort through. Freddy Fermin is the defense-first option behind the plate, while Luis Campusano brings more offense. Fermin is under team control until after the 2029 season and is already 31, while Campusano won’t reach free agency until after the 2028 season and is 30.
That gives San Diego some flexibility, but not much urgency unless Salas keeps forcing the issue. The Padres could choose to wait a couple more minor league seasons, though that feels less likely after his bounce-back in 2026. They could also look to move Campusano, who is having his best offensive season despite the ups and downs of his career, or even consider Fermin as the piece to make room.
A major league debut before the end of the season is also on the table, even if it remains unlikely. Still, with Salas producing the way he is in Triple-A, the possibility is real enough to watch as the offseason approaches.
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