The San Diego Padres called up top catching prospect Ethan Salas as part of MLB roster expansion on Tuesday.
Should Salas, who turned 20 in June, find himself behind the plate in a major-league game in the near future, he’ll be the youngest catcher to do so since 1991. That is when Baseball Hall of Fame member Ivan Rodriguez made his debut with the Texas Rangers at 19.
Salas, who is ranked as the No. 23 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, is batting .326 with three homers and 24 RBIs in 24 games with Triple-A El Paso. He joined the Chihuahuas after being promoted from Double-A San Antonio, where he hit .286 with seven homers and 37 RBIs in 72 games in 2026.
He is expected to provide a breather for Padres catchers Luis Campusano and Freddy Fermin as the team pursues a National League wild-card berth.
“Hypothetically, he’s a left-handed bat, so you could play him against right-handed pitching,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said of Salas. “And we feel comfortable with him behind the plate defensively against anybody. He proved that in the last couple spring trainings.”
Teams have the option of adding up to two players from the minor leagues on Sept. 1. The Padres also added right-hander Jhony Brito from Triple-A El Paso.
Brito, 28, has a 10-8 career record with a 4.20 ERA in 54 games (13 starts) with the New York Yankees and Padres since 2023