San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas took a little while to adjust to MLB, but finally showed what he's capable of in Wednesday's win over the Colorado Rockies. Salas only had one hit through his first eight games in MLB heading into Wednesday, and made sure not to let his cold streak last another at-bat. He crushed the first pitch he saw all day to straightaway center field, clearing the wall for his first MLB home run and RBI.
His second of the day came in the top of the fifth inning, when he shot a ball the opposite way over the scoreboard in right field. Both homers would have left the yard in all 30 MLB ballparks. Salas went 2-for-4 with three RBIs on the day as the Padres went on to win the game, 9-3.
Salas signed to the Padres as an international free agent in 2023, and immediately shot up their farm system at just 17 years old. He made nine appearances in Double-A that season after beginning the year in Class-A, and was a Top 3 prospect in their system by year's end. He had a .752 OPS over the course of the year, though his numbers trailed off after promoting to High-A and Double-A.
Salas played the entirety of 2024 in High-A, though he didn't produce as well as he would have liked. He had just a .599 OPS over the course of 111 games, but his age and promise led to yet another promotion to Double-A the following year. The catcher only played 10 games in 2025, though, as a back injury sent him to the sidelines early in the season.
He started 2026 in Double-A, and played 72 games there before promoting to Triple-A. With Double-A San Antonio, Salas hit seven homers and tallied 37 RBIs, posting a .778 OPS. Upon moving to Triple-A, though, his bat heated up.
He had a .949 OPS through 24 games, batting .326 with three homers and 24 RBIs. He has been the No. 1 prospect in the Padres' organization since they traded MLB No. 2 prospect Leo De Vries to the Athletics at the 2025 trade deadline. Now, with a statement performance under his belt, Salas will look to continue meeting the expectations set upon him as the Padres look to make it back to the postseason this year.
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