San Diego Padres top prospect Ethan Salas made his Major League Baseball debut on Wednesday, becoming the youngest catcher to play in a game since Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez in 1991. Salas, 20 years and 93 days old, appeared in the Padres' road game against the Cincinnati Reds.
Rodriguez, a future Hall of Famer, debuted at 19 years old in 1991. Salas's debut places him in distinguished company as he begins his MLB career.
The Padres signed Salas as an international amateur free agent in 2023, offering him a $5.6 million signing bonus when he was 16. He has since progressed rapidly through the team's minor league system.
Salas was promoted to the Padres' major league roster on Tuesday and received his first start the following day. In his initial plate appearances, he went 0-for-3 with one strikeout. This season in the minor leagues, Salas recorded a .296 batting average and an .822 OPS over 96 games, and is highly regarded for his defensive capabilities behind the plate.
His debut comes during a period of significant change for the Padres, as the team was recently sold for $3.9 billion to José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones.