The San Diego Padres bounced back from losing the first game of the series to the San Francisco Giants by winning the following two games.
The Padres did so by getting hot offensively in the last two games. Despite facing an early 4-1 deficit in the second game against the Giants, San Diego outscored San Francisco 14-2 the rest of the way.
Unfortunately, the team also received some bad news during the second game of the series as catcher Luis Campusano suffered a foot injury after fouling a ball off his toe. Campusano, who has been a bright spot offensively for San Diego, has been placed on the 10-day injured list ahead of the Padres series against the Cardinals.
Fortunately, in other catcher news, the Padres received some encouraging news regarding their minor league catcher Ethan Salas.
Padres Receive Ethan Salas News
Salas, who was previously ranked as MLB.com’s No. 8 prospect prior to the 2024 season, struggled in 2025 to the degree that he dropped out of MLB’s Top 100 prospects rankings.
In 2025, Salas appeared in only 10 games due to nagging injuries, and he posted a .544 OPS in those games. Fortunately for the Padres, Salas has bounced back and posted a .989 OPS in 24 minor league games this season. As a result,he has once again entered MLB’s Top 100 prospects rankings, checking in at No. 99.
In Salas’ prospect profile, MLB wrote:
“Still only 19 come Opening Day 2026, Salas remains one of the most difficult evaluations among today’s prospects. His offensive progress late in 2024 stemmed from an adjustment to stand taller in the box, stay squarer to the ball and not undercut so many pitches in a way that previously led to harmless flyballs and popups. His stance in the brief San Antonio run remained just as simple, but the sample was much too small for sweeping takeaways. He was considered fully healthy and back to taking swings in the offseason, and the power looked like it returned nicely in his early days back in the Texas League to begin this season.”
Regarding the move, SBNation’s Chris Bell wrote:
“He joins LHP Kruz Schoolcraft as the only two Padres prospects on the top 100 list, Schoolcraft is listed at No. 78. Salas has had an impressive first month with the Double-A Missions, again showing why he was so highly thought of as a 17-year-old. After losing all but 10 games of last season to a back injury, Salas spent the bulk of the year and the offseason working on his physical makeup and the mental side of the game. Reportedly gaining 15-20 pounds during that time, Salas studied film and worked with coaches to refine his mental approach and begin work on altering his swing.”
Padres Catcher News
Additionally, Salas has not only climbed MLB’s rankings, but also Baseball America’s, who ranked him at No. 27 in their latest rankings.
While some fans may have hoped Salas would replace the injured Campusano, the Padres opted to elevate 28-year-old Rodolfo Durán.
Regarding the move, The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Jeff Sanders wrote:
“Signed to a minor league deal before the 2025 season, Duran split catching duties at El Paso with Campusano last year while hitting .288/.344/.503 with 16 homers. He is hitting .238/.356/.429 with four homers and 20 RBIs in 23 games so far this year in the Pacific Coast league.”
Regarding Campusano’s injury, Sanders said: “Campusano sustained the fracture after fouling a ball off his foot in San Francisco. He was hitting .288/.362/.596 with three homers and 10 RBIs, although he was 0-for-8 over his last three games.”
Padres Receive News on Top Prospect Ethan Salas Before Cardinals Series