May 1, 2025
San Diego Padres catching prospect
Ethan Salas has been out of action for Double-A San Antonio since April 17 due to back spasms. The Padres' second-ranked prospect "has returned to both swinging a bat and throwing from behind the plate," so he appears to be nearing a return. Through 10 games played this season, the 18-year-old has gone 6-for-32 (.188) with just one extra-base hit, but has stolen two bases and owns a 6:5 BB:K in 41 plate appearances. As the youngest player at Double-A, it's not a surprise to see some early struggles at the plate, but look for him to gain some momentum later in the year. MLB's 30th-ranked prospect is still a couple of years away from a debut, but he remains a talent that dynasty managers should be keeping an eye on.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
April 10, 2025
San Diego Padres catching prospect
Ethan Salas went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a stolen base during Wednesday's contest. This was a much-needed breakout game for Salas as he tallied just one hit with a 0:2 BB:K across the first three games of the Double-A regular season. Salas is considered one of the top catching prospects in the sport at just 18 years old. Last summer, the backstop spent his entire campaign with High-A Fort Wayne and went through some growing pains as he posted an overall .206/.288/.311 line with just four long balls. He hit 27 doubles, swiped 10 bags, and held a 47:98 BB:K. However, in the second half of the 2024 season, he began to turn the corner and appears to be carrying some momentum into the early part of the 2025 campaign. Even though he is still several seasons away from his MLB debut, he is worth monitoring in dynasty formats.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MiLB.com
March 6, 2025
The San Diego Padres reassigned two of their top prospects, catcher
Ethan Salas and shortstop
Leodalis De Vries, to minor-league camp. Both were invited to spring training, but neither was expected to make the team at 18 years of age. It was surely valuable experience for both players for whom the Padres have high hopes. Salas went just 1-for-8 in Cactus League play but was able to coax five walks compared to only two strikeouts, while De Vries went 2-for-16 with a 3:5 BB:K. In 2025, Salas will look to improve upon the .206/.288/.311 slash line he posted at High-A last season. De Vries showed a bit better during his time at Single-A, slashing .237/.361/.441 with 11 homers and 13 steals in 75 games. Neither is likely to debut this season, but both belong on the dynasty radar with an expectation of a late 2026 or 2027 arrival.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
February 7, 2025
The San Diego Padres announced on Friday that infielder
Leodalis De Vries and catcher
Ethan Salas will be non-roster invites to major-league spring training this year. Per MLB Pipeline, De Vries is the No. 18 prospect in all of baseball in 2025, with Salas checking in at No. 33. Both prospects are only 18 years old, though, so nobody should be expecting them to win an Opening Day roster spot out of spring training. De Vries is a switch-hitting infielder that has a mature approach at the dish, but he needs more seasoning on the farm. He's a plus athlete and could stick at the 6 long term despite average arm strength. Salas's defensive skills are ahead of his bat heading into the 2025 season, but if he makes improvements offensively this year, he could rise quickly through San Diego's minor-league system. Both prospects are watch candidates in dynasty/keeper leagues for now.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: San Diego Padres
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