Ethan Salas caps comeback as Baseball America’s 2026 Padres Minor League Player of the Year

It has been a terrific week for San Diego Padres top prospect Ethan Salas. Following his promotion to the major leagues earlier this month, Salas started settling into his new threads.

He roped two home runs on September 16 against the Rockies, then hit a walk-off this past weekend against the Marlins. Salas is proving to live up to the hype already, but let's not forget where he came from prior to his call-up.

The 20-year-old was dominant in the minor leagues. He only needed 24 games in Triple-A to prove that he belongs in the big leagues. And now, for his efforts in the minors, he is being regarded as one of baseball's top players from the 2026 season.

As part of Baseball America's heavily-respected postseason, honors, Ethan Salas was named the Padres Minor Leaguer Player of the Year by the national publication.

Ethan Salas' rapid rise through minor leagues is recognized by Baseball America

In 96 games between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A El Paso, Salas had a .296/.374/.448 slash line, including 10 home runs, 19 doubles, and two triples. Before his promotion, he batted 6-for-his-last-13 with a four-game RBI streak.

Many San Diego fans were concerned for his quick promotion to the bigs. There aren't many 20-year-olds in the majors, particularly catchers. But his mature approach and knack for extra-base hits made it difficult for the Padres' front office to keep him down.

Last year, Miguel Mendez was named the organization's Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. Mendez was traded to the Giants at the deadline this year before ever making it to the bigs, which caused an outcry among Padres fans.

AJ Preller has a tendency to trade the team's best prospects, and many people were anticipating a Salas trade as the next polarizing move, regardless if he tried to dampen the concerns. But, now that Salas has safely made it to the majors with the Padres, perhaps he won't be traded after all. He's proving to be the player of the future here.

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