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Padres need an Ethan Salas playing-time plan before building their 2027 roster

A bench seat won’t move this timeline forward.
ByTremayne Person
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Sep 19, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pinch hitter Ethan Salas (8) celebrates after hitting a walk-off single during the tenth inning against the Miami Marlins at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Sep 19, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pinch hitter Ethan Salas (8) celebrates after hitting a walk-off single during the tenth inning against the Miami Marlins at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Padres need to know where Ethan Salas’ at-bats are coming from before they spend the winter giving them to somebody else. That should at least be part of their plan heading into 2027. If San Diego believes Salas can become a central piece of its next contender, regular catching starts and a workable path to DH appearances need to be part of the offseason plan. So does the patience to keep playing him when things don’t go smoothly.

We can get excited about the future as long as the lineup card makes room for him. Salas gave the Padres plenty to consider. He slashed .296/.374/.448 between Double-A and Triple-A, then batted .256 with a .737 OPS in 16 regular-season games for San Diego. He also caught three postseason games.

Ethan Salas’ role should shape the Padres’ offseason

A.J. Preller has left the door open to competition. In his end-of-season comments, as reported by AJ Cassavell, the Padres’ general manager said nobody would be guaranteed anything and that Salas would have to compete.

Honestly, that’s fair. San Diego is trying to win, and September didn’t answer every question about Salas’ readiness. But Preller also indicated that Craig Stammen and his staff could sort out the playing time next year. And that’s where we should want more clarity.

Every addition this winter affects the available at-bats. A hitter who needs frequent DH starts could crowd Salas out of the lineup on days he does not catch. Keeping three catchers could work, provided their responsibilities add up to useful playing time.

Freddy Fermin and Luis Campusano give San Diego options, with both eligible for arbitration. Cassavell noted that the Padres could consider trading from their catching depth, while also explaining how keeping all three might ease Salas’ workload.

“Everybody will get some time” gets a lot less convincing when somebody is starting once a week.

The Padres also need to budget for a Salas slump

The harder commitment will come after Salas has a bad stretch. If the Padres want him to improve against major-league pitching, they will have to let him face it consistently. That means resisting the urge to turn every slump into a fresh competition for his job.

San Diego can protect itself by building enough offense around Salas to absorb uneven production. It can use a veteran catcher to manage his workload. It can adjust his catching and DH starts as the season develops.

Salas has put himself in position to make an impact in 2027. The Padres’ offseason needs to give that possibility somewhere to go.

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