Padres play the long game: Keeping Ethan Salas in the minors
The Friars are leaving their prized prospect in the minors… for now.
San Diego Padres top catching prospect Ethan Salas (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images The San Diego Padres faced a catching void after Luis Campusano suffered a broken toe. The front office sidestepped pressure from the Friar Faithful to promote Ethan Salas to the majors by calling up Rodolfo Duran instead. And for the moment, the Padres will let Salas stay and develop in the minors.
It was the right move. Salas needs some seasoning Yes, his call-up could be on the horizon. But the organizational mindset appears to have changed toward Salas.
It makes sense to keep him at the team’s Double-A affiliate, San Antonio, and let Salas develop his skills without pressure from above. A very different approach to the standard in today’s baseball, where teams bring up top prospects and let them develop at the big league level. One problem with that equation for the Friars is that their prized prospect has not played much in his minor league career.
Salas nearly missed the entire 2025 season (played 10 games) due to a lower back stress reaction. Team doctors believe injuries of this nature are common for young catchers who are handling a professional baseball workload for the first time. The lost season hindered his growth, leaving him behind front-office expected development projections.