At just 20, Salas would be the youngest catcher in MLB since Pudge Rodriguez
The San Diego Padres called up 20-year-old catching prospect Ethan Salas on Tuesday, the team announced. The move comes as Major League Baseball active rosters expand from 26 spots to 28 for the remainder of the regular season. For the Padres and Salas, the move means he’ll become the youngest player in MLB right now and the youngest catcher to reach the majors since Hall of Famer Iván Rodríguez did so as a 19-year-old with the Rangers in 1991.
A left-handed hitter and skilled defender behind the plate, Salas this season at the Double-A and Triple-A levels has combined to slash .296/.374/.448 with 10 home runs and 47 walks in 405 plate appearances against a much older peer group. Coming off an injury-compromised 2025 season, CBS Sports ranked Salas as the No. 63 prospect in baseball entering the season. Here’s part of that write-up:
“As recently as 18 months ago, Salas looked destined to become MLB’s first teenage catcher since Iván Rodríguez. Unfortunately, he’s no longer assured of that fate. He followed up a disappointing 2024 campaign by missing almost the entire year on account of a back injury. The perfect world outcome here remains a strong defensive backstop who offers enough offense to start most days. Given that Salas won’t turn 20 until June, it’s fair to remain hopeful that he can reach that projection — even if it’s going to take more time than was originally expected.”
Salas did indeed successfully rebound in 2026, as he stayed healthy and put up strong offensive numbers against advanced competition, which explains why the Padres have elected to add him to the roster at the outset of a September playoff push. Consider his prospect status — and his long-term promise — fully restored.
Right now, the Padres have Freddy Fermin and Luis Campusano handling catching duties, and since both bat right-handed, Salas will pair well with them. As long as Salas doesn’t compile more than 130 at-bats down the stretch, he’ll maintain rookie eligibility for 2027 and thus be eligible to earn the Padres a prospect promotion incentive draft pick in the future.
As for the Padres’ playoff aspirations, they enter Tuesday’s slate with a record of 73-65 and a 17-11 mark in August. While it would take a miracle for the second-place Padres to catch the Dodgers in the National League West, San Diego does presently occupy the third and final wild-card spot in the NL. In that heated race, they lead the Diamondbacks by a half-game. As such, Salas’ at-bats and playing time behind the plate over the remainder of the 2026 season could be of the critically important variety.
