When Will Padres Top Prospect Ethan Salas Help the Big League Team?

The youngest Top 5 prospect ever could make a big impact soon.

When the San Diego Padres signed catcher Ethan Salas from the international prospect pool, it made waves. The young catcher quickly rose the rankings and became the youngest player ever to debut in the top 5 of MLB prospect rankings.   

His meteoric rise to the top already has Friars' faithful clamoring to see him in San Diego. But that still may be a little ways away.

When Will Ethan Salas Make His Major League Debut?

According to MLB.com, Ethan Salas could make his way to the show as early as 2026.

Ethan Salas was born in Florida on June 1, 2006, before moving to Venezuela. In January 2023, the Padres used up nearly all of their international pool money to sign the 16-year-old for $5.6 million. 

From the catching position, Salas throws right-handed and bats left-handed. He has a smooth lefty swing that has some pop and provides contact to all fields.

He started the year off on fire in Single-A ball at Lake Elsinore. With the Storm, he hit an impressive .831 OPS with 9 home runs in 48 games. 

Salas ended the year in AA in San Antonio. He struggled in AA with a .517 OPS but ultimately held his own offensively in nine games. Unfortunately, his season came to an end with a knee injury. It is important to remember that at AA Salas is playing with players about seven years older than him.

Defensively Salas has shown a good arm and excellent mechanics for a catcher his age. His game-calling and overall defense will need a bit of work, but the sky is the limit for him.

The big league club desperately needs help at catcher. Even though MLB projects him to get the call in 2026, a world exists where they call him up much sooner.