Padres minors: A.J. Preller talks Ethan Salas, Jhony Brito starts for El Paso 10%
By Jeff Sanders0%
8/5/2026, 5:00:06 AM
Topics: Minor League Baseball, Player Development
BS Summary: This article contains 9 faulty reasoning types, including Halo Effect, Confirmation Bias, and Self-Serving Bias, with Recency Bias as the most egregious example at 9.4% saturation with 73 hits. Analysis detected 362 faulty-reasoning hits from 776 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 20.4% and a BS Rank of 10% (25,960 of 28,780 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 90.20% of the article peer group.
The Padres had one consensus top-100 prospect before Monday’s trade deadline.
They still have one: Ethan Salas.
While A.J.
Preller talked around whether he had a specific desire to hold onto his 20-year-old catcher, the Padres’ president of baseball operations was effusive in his praise as Salas settles into Triple-A El Paso.
Salas went 1-for-4 in Triple-A El Paso’s 6-3 loss at Reno on Friday, but he’s hitting .333/.458/.611 with four extra-base hits and five RBIs in five games since his promotion.
“He’s a guy that we’ve always thought really highly of,” Preller said after Monday’s trade deadline.
“It’s great to see what he’s doing this year, just getting called up to Triple-A and off to a great start there.
He continues his progression toward Petco.”
A back injury limited Salas to just 10 games last year, triggering a precipitous drop in his standing as a top prospect.
A $5.6 million signee in 2023, Salas ranked as high as No. 8 in the top-100 prospect rankings at Baseball America and MLB.com heading into the 2024 season.
But he struggled as one of the youngest players in the Midwest League that year, hardly played last year and fell to No. 90 at Baseball America to start this year.
MLB.com didn’t include Salas at all in its rankings.
Salas was hitting .286/.361/.417 with seven homers in 72 games to start the year in the Texas League and last month represented the Padres in the All-Star Futures Game.
He is now ranked No. 11 at Baseball America and No. 30 at MLB.com.
“We feel like we’ve got some high-end players in the organization and in the farm system,” Preller said.
“Ethan obviously gets a lot of attention, but it’s just good to see him doing his thing on the baseball field.
And I think what the baseball group and the baseball operations department have thought about him, which is super high for a lot of years now, he’s going out there on the field this year and getting it done, and it’s been a lot of fun.
I think this year at the trade deadline, no real difference.
We know what we have in Ethan, and I think we’re excited to see him here next month in Triple-A.”
Tuesday’s scoreboard
TRIPLE-A EL PASO (44-64)
Reno 6, Chihuahuas 3: LHP Miguel Cienfuegos (2-5, 6.99 ERA) allowed five runs in two innings in relief after RHP Jhony Brito (1.95 ERA) struck out a batter over two scoreless innings in the start.
2B Will Wagner (.737 OPS) went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
3B Marcos Castañon (.779 OPS) went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
RF Bryce Johnson (.718 OPS) went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
DOUBLE-A SAN ANTONIO (45-58)
Springfield 5, Missions 2: RHP Jose Leclerc (7.20 ERA) struck out four and allowed two runs on four hits and no walks in two innings.
RHP Matthew Watson (0-2, 8.71 ERA) allowed three runs in three innings in the loss.
RHP Tucker Musgrove (3.00 ERA) struck out a batter in a scoreless inning.
Both RF Braedon Karpathios (.721 OPS) and C Brendan Durfee (.605 OPS) had a double.
HIGH SINGLE-A FORT WAYNE (45-56)
White Michigan 12, TinCaps 5: 1B Jack Costello (.774 OPS) drove in two runs on his 13th homer.
C Carlos Rodriguez (.655 OPS) went 4-for-4 with his sixth homer, two doubles and four RBIs.
LHP Luis Gutierrez (0-1, 3.60 ERA) struck out six and allowed three runs—two earned—in three innings in his second rehab appearance.
RHP Kannon Kemp (7.20 ERA) allowed seven runs—five earned—in 3⅔ innings.
LOW SINGLE-A LAKE ELSINORE (54-49)
Ontario 9, Storm 6: RHP Jesus A.
Castro (3.38 ERA) struck out seven but allowed five runs—two earned—in four innings following rehab appearances from Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta.
3B Yimy Tovar (.652 OPS) went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBIs, two walks and two runs scored.
LF Qrey Lott (.801 OPS) drove in two runs on two hits.
ROOKIE DSL BROWN (9-35)
Reds 21, Padres 4 (7): 1B Gabriel Teran (1.000 OPS) went 2-for-2 with a double, two walks and two runs scored.
ROOKIE DSL GOLD (33-13)
Dodgers 12, Padres 1 (7): 2B Darian Castillo (.887 OPS) drove in three runs on three hits, including two triples.
SS Timothy Mogen (.650 OPS) went 1-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.
3B Yorvin Morla (.854 OPS) went 4-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored.
LHP Carlos Alvarez (3.66 ERA) struck out five and allowed an unearned run on five hits and now walks in 4⅔ innings.
Speakers
1speaker21%attributed speech616writer words
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75%flagged-word coverageA.J. Preller
160 attributed words100% of attributed speech32% writer coverage
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