Ethan Salas is 20 years old, has already hit two MLB home runs, and just became the youngest catcher to appear in a postseason game in big-league history. And yet, Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller made one thing perfectly clear at the end-of-season press conference: nobody has the starting job locked up heading into 2027. Salas will have to earn it. His September debut numbers tell a more nuanced story than the hype — and they point exactly to what he still needs to fix.
A Debut Nobody Had Seen Since Pudge
On September 2, 2026, the Padres called up Salas and the historical comparison wrote itself: the last catcher younger than him to debut in MLB was Iván «Pudge» Rodríguez, who arrived with the Rangers at 19 years old back in 1991. Salas did it at 20. That’s not just a trivia footnote — it’s a marker of the unusually aggressive development path San Diego has taken with him ever since signing him on January 15, 2023, for a $5.6 million bonus, the maximum allowed under the international bonus pool. At the time, Baseball America, FanGraphs, and MLB Pipeline all ranked him as the top prospect in his signing class.
His rise through the system was just as fast: Single-A at 16 (the first player to do so since Julio Urías in 2013), Double-A that same year, and a 2026 minor-league campaign before the call-up where he hit .296 with an .822 OPS, 10 home runs, and 61 RBI in 348 at-bats — numbers that confirmed his bounce-back after a 2025 season derailed by back injuries.
What His 2026 Cup of Coffee Actually Shows
In 16 regular-season games, Salas put up a .256/.275/.462 slash line with a .737 OPS, two home runs, and five RBI in just 39 at-bats. Decent for a first taste of September ball — but the statistical disclaimer is mandatory: 39 at-bats is far too small a sample to project anything with real confidence.
The .275 OBP — well below his .374 mark in the minors that same year — reflects the fact that he drew just one walk in his entire MLB regular season. In the Wild Card round against the Cubs, the numbers dipped further: .125 average and a .325 OPS in eight at-bats. Again, tiny sample — but it does suggest that MLB pitching found zones where he still doesn’t have answers.
Statcast adds another layer: his xwOBA of .227 in 2026 — what he «should» be producing based on contact quality — suggests that even the .256 average may have been a little generous. An average exit velocity of 90.1 mph and a 33.3% hard-hit rate are the numbers of a hitter learning the level, not one who has already figured it out.
What did draw genuine praise was everything that doesn’t show up in the batting line. His pitchers highlighted his game-calling, and his defense — always considered his most advanced tool — was well received in the dugout from day one. For a catcher, that carries real weight in any manager’s evaluation.
The Real Competition: Campusano, Fermin, and a First-Round Pick on the Line
Preller didn’t tip his hand on specific moves at the end of the season, but the picture at the position is clear: Luis Campusano and Freddy Fermin, both arbitration-eligible, are competing with Salas for the starting role. Analysts at Sports Illustrated and MLB Trade Rumors have suggested Campusano could be moved this winter specifically to clear the path for the prospect — but that remains media speculation, not anything the organization has announced.
What is concrete: if Salas wins the starting job and accumulates enough plate appearances, the Padres would receive a first-round pick in the 2028 Draft under the Prospect Promotion Incentive. On top of that, Salas still holds his rookie eligibility for the 2027 Rookie of the Year award, giving San Diego an added incentive to hand him the role as soon as he’s ready to take it.
This winter will answer the question before spring training even starts. If Campusano shows up in a trade, the decision is made. If he doesn’t, Salas heads into camp with two other catchers fighting for the same job — and his 39 MLB at-bats will be exactly what they are: a starting point, not a guarantee.
The Numbers Behind the Story
Ethan Salas’ Statcast profile from 2026 fills in what the traditional line doesn’t always show:
- Plate appearances: 40
- Home runs / RBI: 2 HR, 5 RBI
- AVG / OPS: .256 / .737
- xwOBA: .227
- Average exit velocity: 90.1 mph
- Barrel rate: 3.3%
- Hard-hit rate: 33.3%
- Sprint speed: 50th percentile
