Padres Veteran Sends Message to Ethan Salas Amid Lack of Playing Time

Ethan Salas' slow rollout is not uncommon for prospects, or catchers.

San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas (8) looks to the dugout during the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Petco Park on Sept. 5, 2026. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ethan Salas' arrival in Major League Baseball has been less of a splash, and more of a low ripple spreading slowly across a shallow pond.

The 20-year-old catcher was promoted last Tuesday, when rosters expanded from 26 to 28, and made his MLB debut the following day. Salas went 0-for-4 in his first game in San Diego, and has batted only once in three games since. He's 0-for-5 to begin his big league career.

Fans who hyped the arrival of the top-5 prospect might be underwhelmed by Salas' debut. But in baseball — unlike football and basketball — even the most heralded prospects are commonly asked to wait their turn. That's especially true of catchers.

Before Salas, no catcher had debuted at such a young age since future Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez in 1991.

With Ethan Salas reportedly being called up

He’s 20 years, 91 days today

Whenever he appears in a game, he would be the youngest player to appear at catcher in a game since Iván Rodríguez on Oct. 2, 1991, at 19y 309d

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 1, 2026

Luis Campusano did not arrive with the same hype. But he was a consensus top-100 prospect prior to the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons. He was selected to play for the National League in the 2021 Futures Game.

Like Salas, Campusano's debut was no cannonball. He played one game in 2020 as a 21-year-old, 11 more games in 2021 and 16 games in 2022. By the time he was playing regularly for the Padres, after the 2023 All-Star break, his prospect eligibility was exhausted. The hype had faded.

Campusano's message to Salas? Be patient.

“He’ll be here learning, and we’ll be here teaching him the ropes and getting his feet wet a little bit," Campusano said, via the San Diego Union-Tribune. "But he’s young, obviously, and lots to learn, and that’s why we’re here for him, too. To teach him all that stuff. But he’s in a good spot, so excited for him.”

Earlier this week, Padres manager Craig Stammen was noncommittal when asked about his playing time for the remainder of this season.

“We’ll see,” Stammen said. “Go out and get a bunch of hits, it’s hard to keep a guy out of the lineup like that. I think one thing we do know is he’s a very good defensive catcher. He can hold his own back there. The game-calling piece, we’re gonna work with him on that, try to get him up to speed with how we game plan, and then we’ll see what he’s like with the bat, and then we’ll go from there.”

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X/Twitter for the latest news.