San Diego Padres promote No. 1 prospect Ethan Salas to MLB
EL PASO, Texas - September 1, 2026 – The San Diego Padres have selected the contract of Ethan Salas, the organization’s No. 1 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
The 20-year-old catcher is headed to the major leagues after 24 games in Triple-A. Salas batted .326 with three home runs and 20 RBI in his time with the El Paso Chihuahuas, reaching safely in 22 of his 24 games, while posting a .378 on-base percentage.
Salas, who is the No. 23 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline, made his Triple-A debut on July 29 in El Paso, when he recorded a 3-for-4 performance and reached base four times with a single, double, triple, and walk, while notching two RBI.
His first Triple-A home run came on August 7 in Reno, before a four-RBI performance on August 16 against Salt Lake.
Salas put together a 10-game hit streak from August 4-16, batting .385 (15-for-35) with six extra-base hits, including three home runs and 15 RBI. Since his promotion to Triple-A on July 29, he led all Pacific Coast League catchers in RBI (18) and total bases (36) and was tied for 1st in walks (9) and hits (22).
Among PCL hitters with 75 or more at-bats in August, Salas posted the 9th-highest batting average (.308) and 10th-highest OPS (.865).
In 17 games at catcher, Salas caught nine baserunners trying to steal–the most of any PCL catcher with fewer than 20 starts from behind the plate.
His first appearance with the Padres would make him the 106th Chihuahua to make their MLB debut.
The 2026 season continues Tuesday, September 1, as the El Paso Chihuahuas (18-39, 53-79) host the Las Vegas Aviators (31-26, 75-55) for game one of a six-game series.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Mountain Time at Southwest University Park in El Paso, TX. The game will air on 600 ESPN El Paso and www.epchihuahuas.com.
