Padres Promote Ethan Salas Amid Report He's 'Not Untouchable' at Trade Deadline

The San Diego Padres have promoted Ethan Salas to Triple-A, getting him one step closer to realizing his dream of playing in Major League Baseball.

Salas, 20, is in the midst of a breakout year for the Padres following an injury-riddled 2025 season. Overall, he played in 72 games at Double-A, hitting .286 with seven home runs, 37 RBIs and an OPS of .778.

Now, Salas is joining Triple-A El Paso, where he'll look to continue his development before making his MLB debut potentially as soon as next year.

Which team he debuts with, however, remains up in the air.

Ethan Salas 'Not Untouchable' in Padres Trade Talks

The Padres have multiple pathways they can go down as the Aug. 3 trade deadline quickly approaches.

The Padres' top decision-makers have to choose between going after a postseason spot or selling off some players for future assets. Some around the league believe that San Diego could elect to be both a buyer and a seller, as they try to win this season while also taking the future into account.

San Diego has some tough decisions to make over the next week, and how they go about the trade deadline could impact the future of the organization. But it seems that the Padres could be operating under a sense of urgency, with president of baseball operations A.J. Preller trying to get creative in deals.

Padres insider Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune has reported that the team is looking to operate in a similar manner as in recent years, with top prospect Ethan Salas even being available in the right deal..

"The belief by those familiar with the team’s discussions is that the Padres will try to improve along the same lines they did at the deadlines 2024 and ‘25 — with minimal money added to the payroll in ‘24 and virtually nothing added last season," Acee wrote.

"That could require moving top prospect Ethan Salas, who is not considered untouchable."

The Padres have been linked to multiple top-tier names ahead of the trade deadline, including ace Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers. If the Padres were to trade for Skubal, Salas would surely be discussed in the talks.

The catcher has been a top prospect of the Padres for years, and San Diego has been excited about his recent development. Losing him would be tough given the catching position is a need for the Padres, but this could be the price of landing another proven star for the big league roster.

Preller has discussed the possibly of moving Salas, saying that he views the catcher as a part of the team's future.

"He's just been healthy this year and is doing the things that our baseball group feels like he can do," Preller said on 97.3 The Fan. "So, again, somebody like Ethan, we see him as being a big part of the Padres' future."

However, with Preller at the helm, nobody within the Padres organization is safe from being traded if the right opportunity presents itself.

And if the Padres want to add a top-level talent without adding to the payroll, Salas would be their best trade chip that isn't currently at the major league level.

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