San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller said Monday that catching prospect Ethan Salas (back) has a stress reaction in his lower back and will be out into July, per MLB.com's AJ Cassavell. However, the Padres are optimistic that simply resting will only be required for his recovery and that his development should not suffer, other than missing games. The 18-year-old Salas is the Padres' No. 2 prospect and is the No. 29 overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline. His production with Double-A San Antonio has not yet matched his hype, as he has slashed .188/.325/.219 with no home runs, five RBI, and two stolen bases in 41 plate appearances. Salas has been talked about in fantasy circles for some time now and plays a weak position, so fantasy managers in dynasty leagues or keeper leagues may want to hold onto him still if they can.

San Diego Padres catching prospect Ethan Salas has been out of action for Double-A San Antonio since April 17 due to back spasms. The Padres' second-ranked prospect "has returned to both swinging a bat and throwing from behind the plate," so he appears to be nearing a return. Through 10 games played this season, the 18-year-old has gone 6-for-32 (.188) with just one extra-base hit, but has stolen two bases and owns a 6:5 BB:K in 41 plate appearances. As the youngest player at Double-A, it's not a surprise to see some early struggles at the plate, but look for him to gain some momentumlater in the year. MLB's 30th-ranked prospect is still a couple of years away from a debut, but he remains a talent that dynasty managers should be keeping an eye on.

San Diego Padres catching prospect Ethan Salas went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a stolen base during Wednesday's contest. This was a much-needed breakout game for Salas as he tallied just one hit with a 0:2 BB:K across the first three games of the Double-A regular season. Salas is considered one of the top catching prospects in the sport at just 18 years old. Last summer, the backstop spent his entire campaign with High-A Fort Wayne and went through some growing pains as he posted an overall .206/.288/.311 line with just four long balls. He hit 27 doubles, swiped 10 bags, and held a 47:98 BB:K. However, in the second half of the 2024 season, he began to turn the corner and appears to be carrying some momentum into the early part of the 2025 campaign. Even though he is still several seasons away from his MLB debut, he is worth monitoring in dynasty formats.