Padres Promote Top Catching Prospect Ethan Salas for MLB Debut
The San Diego Padres are calling up Just Baseball's No. 9 overall prospect, Ethan Salas, to help during their playoff push.
The wait is finally over.
Ethan Salas was called up on Tuesday to make his debut, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The 20-year-old catcher is Just Baseball’s No. 9 prospect and San Diego’s No. 1 prospect in their system. He’s a top-tier defensive prospect who has made significant strides at the plate this season.
As stated, defense is Salas’ strong suit, earning a 60 fielding grade with a 70 future value from our Aram Leighton. Salas possesses major league-level framing ability and mechanics. Coupled with a lightning-quick transfer and an arm years ahead of someone his age, you have the makings of a franchise catcher.
A stress reaction in Salas’ back limited him to 10 games in 2025, stunting his growth offensively as he batted .188.
The injury seems to be behind Salas, and his offense has shown up in a big way.
In Double-A San Antonio, he slashed .286/.361/.417 with seven home runs, 37 RBI, and a 111 wRC+ in 72 games.
He turned things up another notch in Triple-A El Paso, batting .326 with a .949 OPS in 24 games. During his stint in El Paso, he owns a 13.3% walk rate with a 9.5% strikeout rate. His power has really come along, too, with three home runs and a .213 isolated power.
On top of his slugging improvements, his contact rate sits at 91.3% in Triple-A and is at 87.7% for the season. This can be attributed to small tweaks to his mechanics, including a more open stance, a toe tap, and raised hands.
Given his maturity behind the plate and offensive strides, Salas can help the San Diego Padres during their playoff push.
Ethan Salas Scouting Report
For a deeper dive on Salas and what Padres fans should expect from him this year and beyond, check out Aram Leighton’s scouting report on San Diego’s new franchise cornerstone:
Ethan Salas – C – San Diego Padres
Height/Weight: 6’2″, 190 | Bat/Throw: L/R | IFA: $5.8M, 2021 (SD) | ETA: 2027
| HIT | Plate Disc. | GAME POWER | RUN | FIELD | FV |
| 50/60 | 50/55 | 40/50 | 50/50 | 60/70 | 60 |
A wunderkind of a catching prospect, Salas signed for $5.8 million as the top prospect in the 2023 IFA class and was immediately thrusted into big league spring training action, followed by a Low-A assignment prior to his 17th birthday and a High-A assignment before he turned 18. Salas got both healthy and stronger heading into 2026 while refining his swing mechanics, resulting in a major Double-A breakout in his age 19/20 season. Between his elite defense and offensive breakout, he now looks the part of one of the best prospects in the sport.
Offense
Salas made some adjustments in the box heading into 2026, starting more open and stacked on his back side, while utilizing a toe tap that seems to have helped him keep his weight back. Paired improved mechanics with a young hitter getting healthy and much stronger and you get a major offensive breakout.
Through his first 40 games of the 2026 season, Salas has improved his contact rate by 10% compared to 2024. His 90th percentile exit velocity jumped by 5 MPH as well. After never having posted an air exit velocity north of 108 MPH entering 2026, Salas posted six batted balls that fit the criteria in his first 40 games, including two 112 MPH doubles.
He already has a good feel for the zone and recognizes spin well, though his chase rate did climb by five percent to 25% at High-A. The jump was mostly predicated on a spike in chase against fastballs, not breaking balls, pointing towards a young hitter who is perhaps a little overzealous rather than challenged to recognize spin.
With Salas already showcasing a good feel to elevate, the added raw power makes above average power potential a reasonable outlook. The bat to ball looks to be above average as well, giving Salas a balanced blend of both hit and power.
Defense/Speed
It’s hard to remember a more advanced teenage catching prospect when it comes to receiving than Salas, reeling in the ball smoothly with elite hands. He moves well behind the dish making strides as a blocker in his first pro season.
The Padres brass has raved about the maturity of Salas and the way he handles bullpens since he arrived at the complex which should translate into strong game calling. Already with a well above average arm, Salas has a plus arm and his improved transfer resulted in a 28% caught stealing rate in 2024. He is still adjusting to Double-A some, with the caught stealing rate taking a bit of a hit through his first few months at the level, but the blocking, receiving and feel for the position continue to stand out as Salas projects as a special defender.
An average runner, Salas has a great feel for the game on the base paths as well, where he provides some value.
Outlook
After a phenomenal start to his pro career at Low-A, Salas struggled with unprecedentedly aggressive assignments and injury. Healthy, stronger and with his feet under him a bit more in at a Double-A level where he was still only one of two teenagers on a roster on Opening Day, Salas is realizing his offensive potential. Salas’s elite defensive ability is what maintained his cache as one of the better young catcher prospects in the sport, even with the injuries and struggles. Now looking like an above average bat with flashes of more, Salas is flat out the best overall catcher prospect in the sport.
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Written by
Ethan is an aspiring sports analyst who has a passion for all sports. He was a collegiate baseball player and is a recent San Diego State…