Ethan Salas is looking plenty healthy these days.

The 19-year-old catcher homered for the fourth time in six days on Friday in Double-A San Antonio’s 7-2 loss at Tulsa.

The power surge began with Salas hitting a home run in three straight games, his first since long balls since August 2024 at high Single-A Fort Wayne.

Salas paired four homers with a .206/.288/.311 batting line over 111 games that year but was still pushed to Double-A San Antonio the next year.

The promotion, however, lasted just 10 games as a stress reaction in Salas’ lower back ultimately sidelined him the entire season. Instead of returning in the second half of the 2025 season or getting at-bats in winter ball, Salas didn’t get back on the field until spring training.

The time away from the game led to a fall in his status as a prospect who originally signed for $5.6 million as the top amateur from the 2023 international class.

Clearly the top young bat in the Padres system, Salas dropped to No. 90 in Baseball America’s preseason top-100 and fell entirely out of MLB.com’s top-100 rankings.

It’s taken some time for Salas to get going this year, too, as he was hitting .255/.314/.319 before hitting his first home run on April 24.

Salas homered the next two games after that, sat on Wednesday, collected two hits on Thursday and went 2-for-4 on Friday to lift his batting line to .319/.390/.565 on the season.

Salas has driven in 13 runs and is also 5-for-5 in stolen-base attempts.

Left-hander Jagger Haynes (5.32 ERA) struck out eight and allowed two runs in six innings in the start.

San Antonio is 6-19.

 

Friday’s scoreboard

TRIPLE-A EL PASO (15-16)

Albuquerque 26, Chihuahuas 8: LHP Marco Gonzales (1-2, 8.15 ERA) allowed four runs in two innings in the start. RHP Triston McKenzie (14.66 ERA) allowed six runs without recording an out. RHP Garrett Hawkins (7.84 ERA) allowed six runs in two-thirds of an inning. SS Mason McCoy (.907 OPS) hit his sixth homer and 3B Pablo Reyes (.883 OPS) hit his second homer. 2B Will Wagner (oblique) went 1-for-2 with a walk and an run scored in his first rehab game.

 

HIGH SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (10-15)

TinCaps 6, South Bend 2: LHP Kash Mayfield (2.29 ERA) walked a career-high five batters and allowed two runs in 3⅔ innings. He struck out four. RHP Tucker Musgrove (6.00 ERA) struck out three over 1⅔ scoreless innings. RHP Clay Edmondson (0.82 ERA) struck out all four hitters he faced for his fourth save. 1B Jack Costello (.792 OPS) drove in four runs on two hits, including his second homer.

 

LOW SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (15-10)

Storm 10, Ontario 7: LF Justin DeCriscio (.986 OPS) went 3-for-4 with three doubles, an RBI and two runs scored. DH Luke Cantwell (.909 OPS) drove in three runs on three hits. 1B Victor Duarte (1.005 OPS) went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs. LHP Kruz Schoolcraft (13.50 ERA) struck out five but allowed four runs — three earned — on four hits and three walks in 3⅓ innings in the start.