Ethan Salas' recent run is showing why the Padres' trusted his rapid path to the majors

Ethan Salas is impressing the San Diego Padres in more ways than one. The organization's Minor League Player of the Year already has a walk-off to his name, a multi-home run game, and now, a moment that earned him expedited trust among his teammates and coaches.

On Wednesday night in Los Angeles, Shohei Ohtani stepped into the batter's box with the bases loaded and two outs. in the fourth inning David Morgan delivered a 3-1 fastball that was initially called a ball, which would have tied the game at 2. Rather than let that stand, the 20-year-old catcher flexed confidence and strike zone acumen by challenging the umpire's call.

The pitch was overturned, pushing the count full. Morgan wound up striking out Ohtani to strand the bases loaded en route to an impressive 5-1 win. It was a minor moment in the game, but considering who was batting, it showed us that Salas has settled into the major leagues pretty quickly.

Ethan Salas' defensive prowess has already transitioned into MLB success with Padres

Everything that excited fans about Salas prior to his MLB debut was surrounding his defensive abilities. He threw out multiple runners in the minors. His 70-grade fielding tool and 60-grade arm put the league on watch, making him the sport's 21st-ranked overall prospect.

Salas has come through with his bat a few times already in San Diego, but to see him succeed behind the dish on Wednesday night told us that he is big-league ready. The organization has gone through a dark age of catchers, and it seemed like it was too early for Salas' call-up.

After Wednesday's game, you'll have a hard time finding many Friars fans who are still opposed to Salas being on the Padres. He provides a youthful spark, but most importantly, a reliability behind the plate. Considering how many different pitchers that manager Craig Stammen will turn to in October, San Diego is going to need that comfort from his catcher come postseason time.

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