Don’t look now, but Ethan Salas is starting to heat up.
On Friday night, the Padres' No. 2 prospect went 2-for-3 from the leadoff spot, headlined by swatting his first home run of the season for Double-A San Antonio in its 8-7 loss to Amarillo. Salas went to one of the deepest parts of the park at Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium, with the shot leaving his bat at 106 mph according to the in-house Trackman device.
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After hitting just .125 (2-for-16) to start the year, Salas’ multihit night marks his fourth two-hit game in his past nine outings. In that span, he has a .355 average with a .945 OPS.
Following the solo shot in the bottom of the fourth, Salas collected his second knock and RBI of the night with a 105 mph RBI single into right field in the seventh.
Paired with his two-hit night, Salas additionally reached base twice with a pair of walks. That included an eight-pitch battle in the ninth, which started with MLB’s No. 10 ranked catching prospect being in an 0-2 hole. Working free passes and showing above-average plate discipline have been a staples for Salas, even through the struggles, who owns a career 10.4 percent BB rate.
Salas returns to San Antonio after first debuting in the Texas League at the start of 2025. After just 10 games, a stress reaction in his lower back shut him down. While the injury initially wasn't considered season-ending, he would up not making it back onto the field.
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The 19-year-old is still widely considered one of, if not the best, defensive catching prospects in baseball, as evidenced by his 70-grade fielding and 60-grade glove tools. He earns positive marks for his game calling and controlling of the run game.
If Salas is able to continue his recent reemergence at the dish, it could be a huge plus for a Padres organization that has seen 22 different catchers start at the big league level since 2016.