San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas made his main league debut Wednesday evening in opposition to the Cincinnati Reds, changing into the youngest participant to catch in an MLB game since Hall of Famer Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez.
At 20 years, 93 days previous, Salas, the Padres’ prime prospect and the youngest present participant within the majors, batted sixth within the lineup and began behind the plate in a 7-3 road loss. He was hitless in 4 at-bats with two strikeouts.
Rodriguez made his MLB debut with the Texas Rangers at age 19 in 1991.
“He’s a very mature kid and a very smart kid,” Padres supervisor Craig Stammen stated of Salas on Tuesday. “He’s been around big league camp the last few years so, you know, he’s gotten a taste of what it’s like to be around the guys and compete in spring training with the best players.”
Salas, who signed with the Padres in 2023 for a file $5.6 million bonus as a prime worldwide prospect, progressed rapidly by means of their minor league system regardless of a again damage that triggered him to miss many of the 2025 season.
He batted .286 with seven residence runs and 37 RBIs in 72 video games this 12 months at Double-A. After being promoted to Triple-A on July 29, Salas hit .326 with three homers and 24 RBIs.
Information from The Associated Press was used on this report.