The San Diego Padres believe they have a prospect that should be the first teenager to play in an MLB game since 1991.
On Tuesday, the San Diego Padres made a bold decision. Despite previous plans to send elite prospects Ethan Salas to Arizona Complex League, the organization shifted gears and instead let him make his professional debut for their Single-A team the Lake Elsinore Storm. The decision is notable because Silas is only 16 years old.
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However, despite his surprisingly young age, the American-born native of Venezuela quickly proved the San Diego Padres right by posting a single, double, and walk in his three at-bats in the team’s 3-1 win over Visalia. The organization has a financial reason to hope that Salas can move quickly through their farm system after signing him to a $5.6 million deal in January. Which was the most any player received in this year’s international free-agent class.
San Diego Padres record (2023): 25-29, fourth place in NL West
Yet, the young catcher has made their decisions thus far understandable with his strong play. Salas performed well during spring training and actually would have been promoted to Single-A even earlier if not for a shoulder injury. While the San Diego Padres depleted the top of their farm system in some recent blockbuster trades, it is still impressive nonetheless that Salas is already ranked third in their system and 86th overall in the sport on MLB.com’s rankings.
That is why it is not a surprise that the organization has some very lofty hopes for Salas. On Wednesday, The Athletic reported that the Padres believe he “could and should reach the majors before his 20th birthday.” That is not too far off considering he turns 17 this week.
If Ethan Salas were to make the San Diego Padres big league roster in 2025, it would make him the first teenager to make his MLB debut since Texas Rangers great Ivan Rodriguez did it all the way back in 1991. Salas is already the first player born in 2006 to play in the league’s minors.