Padres Manager Hints at Ethan Salas Making Postseason Roster

The Padres highly-touted prospect could see some run in the postseason.

Sep 5, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas (8) walks to the mound during the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen alluded that there is a chance Ethan Salas makes the postseason roster.

Stammen discussed the team's plan for the highly-touted prospect this week, and seemed to hint at him playing in the postseason, assuming the team makes it.

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

Salas made his MLB debut this month, when the Padres called him up as part of their September call-ups.

The Florida native has played in five games thus far in his career, but is yet to collect a significant stat.

In 12 at-bats, Salas has zero hits and five strikeouts.

Salas spoke about how he believes his transition has been thus far.

“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."

“My swings feel good,” he added. “Some little things to keep working on. It’s baseball. I mean, I’m young. I’m coming up here adjusting, so I’m just trying to stay locked in and hopefully … the team wins as much as possible. And thankfully, we got that done today.

“We’re in the best league in the world, so there’s no going up from here. It is what it is. Got to go out there and compete. Whoever’s on the mound, it’s my job to compete at my best level every single day.”

Ethan Salas Has Had Dominant 2026 Season

Salas spent the last four seasons in the minor leagues, and he quickly established himself as one of the best minor league prospects in that timeframe.

In 2026, Salas split his minor league time between Double-A and Triple-A. In 96 games, the young catcher hit .296 with 10 home runs, 61 RBIs and an .822 OPS across 348 at-bats.

The Padres signed Salas as an international free agent in 2023 and considered him one of the top catching prospects in recent history. San Diego signed Salas for a record $5.6 million.

If the Padres want Salas to make an impact in the postseason, they of course first have to get there. As of Thursday, the Padres are a half-game up on the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final wild-card spot.

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