Padres' top prospect Ethan Salas is brutally sidelined for two months with back injury

Padres top prospect Ethan Salas has not appeared in a game since April 17. Down in the minors with Double-A San Antonio, Salas has not been able to take that next step forward in development, and now the 18-year-old is headed to the injured list for quite some time.

Salas will miss the next two months with a stress reaction in his back, a sign that possibly his below-average production in 10 games this season was due to his injury.

San Diego Padres' No. 2 prospect Ethan Salas won't return until July

Batting .188, Salas was unable to get anything going through a couple weeks of games before getting sidelined. He had no home runs, and one double with San Antonio.

Salas, who has been among the Top 100 prospects in all of baseball, was given an invite to spring training this year, too, but found very little success across eight games facing big leaguers. He was a .111 hitter in eight contests, picking up one hit, which was a double.

Salas' fellow Friar top prospect Leo De Vries, who is also 18 years old, has been on a different path than Salas in 2025. He's put together some jaw-dropping performances with High-A Fort Wayne, batting .288 overall in 27 games with four home runs, 21 RBIs, six doubles, and three triples.

These two will be linked together until they finally reach the big leagues, and although there is still some time before that happens, it looks like De Vries is adjusting to pro ball more comfortably than Salas. Hopefully it's just this flare-up in his back that's held him from playing at a high level, and if that's the case, then San Diego should take their time with Salas' recovery.

If two months aren't enough time for him to heal, there is no need to rush him back. He's the catcher of the future, so he'll be treated as such in his rehab.