Padres Predicted to Promote Top Prospect in Potential Franchise-Altering Move

Just ahead of the final stretch of the regular season, the San Diego Padres have a tough choice to make regarding top prospect Ethan Salas.

San Diego has been contemplating bringing Salas to the major leagues as a September call-up, which would bolster the roster. Salas has incredible talent, and the Padres have been very happy with his development this season.

Salas was recently promoted to Triple-A, and he's been dominating at the new level. Overall, Salas has hit .344 with three home runs and 20 RBIs over 16 games, while posting an OPS of 1.040.

Many have expected Salas to be given a chance this season, but the Padres have held back so far. Additionally, if the Padres want to make Salas eligible for the postseason, he will need to be placed on the 40-man roster before Sept. 1.

Adding Salas to the 40-man roster could be problematic for the Padres with the impending lockout coming this offseason. If Salas is on the roster, the team wouldn't be able to contact him until the issue is resolved, limiting his ability to develop within the organization.

But even with this, analysts Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis and Sam Dykstra of MLB.com are predicting that the Padres will indeed bring Salas to the big leagues.

"But talent is talent, and you can never have too much of it when you’re chasing your org’s first World Series title," they wrote. Salas’ defense would transition seamlessly to the bigs."

Should the Padres Call Up Ethan Salas?

This season, the Padres have relied on production from Luis Campusano and Freddy Fermin at the catcher spot. And while both catchers have performed well as of late for the Padres, the potential of Salas could be too much to pass on.

Adding Salas to the roster this late in the season could propel the Padres to the postseason, while also giving him needed reps at this level. Salas is seen as the catcher of the future for the Padres, so getting him as many opportunities as possible will be paramount.

Salas is also a left-handed hitter, which could offer the Padres a solid option in building out lineups. Padres manager Craig Stammen could use him as a pinch-hitter off the bench in different situations as well, adding more flexibility.

The 20-year-old could be an extra boost to his team following a strong trade deadline for the Padres. He could work in a catching trio with Campusano and Fermin, potentially giving the veterans extra time off ahead of the postseason.

Both Campusano and Fermin have landed on the injured list this season, so Salas could be an insurance option for the Padres down the line. Overall, there isn't much downside to bringing him to the big leagues, even with the possible lockout looming over the league.

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