Padres Call Up Catcher Ethan Salas, Their No. 1 Prospect

The San Diego Padres have called up catcher Ethan Salas, their top prospect, to the MLB roster, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. At 20 years old, Salas arrives as the youngest player in the major leagues.

The promotion lands during a September stretch run with San Diego in the wild-card race — and comes in the wake of a rough stretch of injury news. Luis Rengifo was placed on the IL with a knee injury and has since been reported to require surgery, ending his 2026 season. Whether Salas's arrival is directly connected to that roster crunch or simply reflects the club's September call-up window is not stated in the reporting.

What we know

Salas is San Diego's No. 1 prospect and a catcher. He is 20 years old. The Padres have called him up to the active roster.

What remains unconfirmed

No role, depth-chart position, or playing time has been specified in the available reporting. How the club intends to deploy him — and how much he plays down the stretch — is still to be determined.