San Diego Padres' No. 2 Propect to Miss Months as He Rests Lingering Injury

Catcher Ethan Salas isn't expected to return to action for Double-A San Antonio until July.

San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas (90) looks on against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning at Camelback Ranch-Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 25, 2025. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Ethan Salas, the No. 2-ranked prospect in the San Diego Padres farm system, likely will not play again until July because of a stress reaction in his lower back.

A.J. Preller, San Diego’s president of baseball operations, made the announcement Monday about the 18-year-old. He said he didn’t think the injury would negatively impact Salas’ development.

Ethan Salas, MLB's No. 29 prospect, will be out around two months due to a stress reaction in his back.

The #Padres' No. 2 prospect has been sidelined since mid-April: https://t.co/TPn9h6oxAH pic.twitter.com/vLhXepX28D

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 13, 2025

Preller said an X-ray and MRI were negative for a fracture.

“The only real [solution] is rest, so he’s going to be out probably two months or so and should be totally fine in terms of coming back,” Preller said. “It’s not anything our doctors feel is long term.”

MLB Pipeline also ranks Salas as the No. 29 overall prospect and the No. 4 catcher in the sport.

Considered the No. 1 international prospect at the time, the Padres signed Salas to a contract in January 2023, and he has appeared in 187 games in the minors. Ten of them came earlier this season at Double-A San Antonio, where he is batting .188 with no home runs and five RBIs. He has not played since April 17 because of the injury.

If there is one knock on Salas’ game, it is hitting. MLB Pipeline had this to say about Salas and his 2024 journey through the minor leagues:

“In July, Salas traveled to San Diego to work with Padres Major League hitting coaches and started standing taller in the box. The adjustment helped him stay more square to the ball rather than getting under pitches for catchable fly balls, and he became more proficient at producing extra-base hits (11 of his 27 doubles on the season came in August). His strikeout and walk rates were still within healthy margins, but some evaluators would still like to see the quality of contact return for a larger sample.”

The Padres consider him to be their catcher of the future and clearly are not going to rush him through the season, They would rather he be healthy and ready to contribute offensively.

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