Padres' Ethan Salas Could Make MLB History Not Seen Since 1969

It's been an unbelievable rise for the 20-year-old.

San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas poses for a portrait during Media Day at Peoria Sports Complex on Feb. 19, 2025. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Few postseason teams employ rookie catchers, and Ethan Salas' youth is even more rare in baseball history.

How rare?

Only two players have ever caught in the playoffs before turning 21: Joe Garagiola in 1946, and Bob Didier in 1969. Salas, who is 20 years and 106 days old as of Tuesday, could become the third.

A Futures Game participant in 2024 and 2026, Salas was an obvious choice to be promoted from Triple-A El Paso when rosters expanded on Sept. 1.

In 24 games with the San Diego Padres' top farm team, Salas slashed .326/.410/.539 with 24 RBIs. The hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League environment helped inflate those numbers, but the Padres couldn't be blamed for wanting to take a look at Salas with an extra roster spot available.

In his first seven big league games through Monday, Salas is 1-for-16 (.063) with a triple, six strikeouts and no walks. His ability to acclimate to major league pitching could be the biggest impediment to Salas becoming the first 20-year-old to catch a postseason game this century.

The other impediment is Luis Campusano. After slashing .240/.294/.372 across parts of six MLB seasons (2020-25), Campusano has broken out in 2026. Through Monday, he was slashing .268/.366/.438 (126 OPS+).

It will be difficult for the Padres to keep Campusano's bat out of the lineup in any postseason series. If they need a backup, Freddy Fermin has proven to be an adept thrower, framer and blocker behind the plate.

Where does Salas fit in?

In the minor leagues, Salas was at least as highly regarded for his defense behind the plate as his offense. In a best-of-three wild-card series, where fewer pitchers are needed to get a team through to the next round, the Padres could find value in letting Salas and Fermin catch while Campusano shifts to DH.

Campusano has made more starts at DH (11) than catcher (four) in the two weeks since Salas arrived.

“My defense … it never goes away for me,” Salas said. “Whether I’m hitting or not, it’s our job as catchers to be dialed in back there and 100% locked in. So I think that’s something that always, always goes with me everywhere. The hitting will come along."

“We’re looking for Ethan to get some playing time,” manager Craig Stammen said recently. “We think he’s a really good player, and he can help us down the stretch and hopefully into the playoffs."

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