Padres' Ethan Salas is Already Dominating in Triple-A

In 13 games with Triple-A, Salas is hitting .360 with two home runs and 16 RBIs while drawing eight walks. Salas is posting an incredible 1.053 OPS in the limited time.

His performance after being promoted is as good as anything the Padres could have hoped for, and there has been talk about the team potentially calling him up.

Salas has been in the midst of a full season, and his continued success at the highest minor league level has been great to see.

Should the Padres Call Ethan Salas Up?

Given where the team currently is, it can't hurt to give Salas some reps at the big-league level. The 20-year-old has been improving every year, and he seems ready for his name to be called.

Manager Craig Stammen spoke about Salas recently, and he didn't rule out the chance that the team could bring the young player to the majors this year.

“He’s definitely capable of being a major-league player at any point, and that will be a decision for the organization as we go forward,” Stammen said. “But I think right now, him having not played a full season for a while, we got to continue to go on that path. And although we’re really excited about him, you know, continue to stay patient, especially with our catching situation in the big leagues right now.”

Salas could be the perfect September call-up for the Padres, providing the team with some extra depth down the stretch. But if the Padres want Salas to play in the playoffs, he will need to be on the 40-man roster before Sept. 1.

What is the Padres Plan at Catcher Moving Forward?

San Diego has Luis Campusano and Freddy Fermin as its two main catchers, with each guy playing well right now.

Campusano returned from an injured list stint, and has been excellent, hitting .314 with five home runs, 23 RBIs and an OPS of .925, continuing his breakout year.

As for Fermin, he's also been on the injured list twice, but has returned to play well, hitting .333 in August with five RBIs.

The Padres could use a left-handed bat off the bench, though, and this is where Salas could come into the picture.

“Hypothetically,” Stammen said, “he’s a left-handed bat, so you could play him against right-handed pitching. And we feel comfortable with him behind the plate defensively against anybody. He proved that in the last couple spring trainings.”

For now, Salas will continue to show what he can do in the minor leagues. But the chance of him being called up seems to grow with every strong performance he puts together at Triple-A.

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