CINCINNATI (AP) — The San Diego Padres selected the contract of 20-year-old catcher Ethan Salas from Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday, making him the youngest active player in the major leagues.
If Salas appears behind the plate, he will be the youngest catcher in the big leagues since Ivan Rodriguez, who was 19 when he debuted with the Texas Rangers on June 20, 1991.
“He's a very mature kid and a very smart kid,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “He's been around big-league camp the last few years so, you know, he's gotten a taste of what it's like to be around the guys and compete in spring training with the best players.”
Salas, who signed with the Padres in 2023 for a record $5.6 million bonus as a top international prospect, has progressed quickly through their minor league system despite a back injury that caused him to miss most of the 2025 season.
“It hasn't just been a steady climb to the major leagues,” Stammen said. "There's been some ups and downs, some injuries, some not playing great. He has turned it around and had a great season this year. He has earned it, that's probably the coolest part.”
The Padres' top prospect batted .286 with seven home runs, and 37 RBIs in 72 games this year at Double-A. After being promoted to Triple-A on July 29, Salas hit .326 with three homers and 24 RBIs.
Salas caught Padres pitchers Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta during minor-league rehab starts this year.
“They had rave reviews about how Ethan caught them and how he handled them,” Stammen said. “It's just another check mark, another thing we can say we feel good about Ethan coming up and being able to catch our staff.”
Also Tuesday, the Padres recalled right-hander Jhony Brito from Triple-A and transferred infielder/outfielder Luis Rengifo to the 60-day injured list.
The Padres play the second game of a three-game series against the Reds on Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park. They began the day with a half-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third NL wild-card spot.
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FILE - National League's Ethan Salas reacts to hitting a single during the second inning of the MLB All-Star Futures baseball game against the American League on July 12, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola, File)
TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told the Trump administration Tuesday to “stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough,” as he pushed back against a fresh wave of attacks from Washington.
Carney said U.S.-Canada trade talks could resume if Washington became serious about negotiations, but he also accused the United States of pursuing terms that he said could leave Canadian industries “gradually wound down in Canada and wiped out.”
“When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade and stop trying to be tough, and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions,” Carney said. “It’s not constructive, but that’s their democracy.”
His comments came during a fresh barrage from Washington since trade talks collapsed Aug. 21. Trump has moved to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” and taunted Canada on social media, while U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Canada could not go “tit for tat” with an economy 13 times larger.
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also mocked the Canadian military online, posting an image Monday of two female cadets at a British Columbia training center with the words “this is real” and a Canadian flag. Carney called the post “beneath their office.” The Pentagon stood by it Tuesday, saying, “The X post speaks for itself.”
Carney said the U.S. approach in the talks would have left Canadian industries effectively as subsidiaries of American companies or imposed terms under which they would be “gradually wound down in Canada and wiped out.”
“We’re not going to — of course, we’re not going to accept those terms,” Carney said.
The prime minister said Washington sought an “uncompetitive” deal for key industries, including autos, while pushing changes affecting French-language and cultural protections. He said any of those issues was enough to block an agreement.
Carney said Washington also sought limits on Canada’s future trade deals. “Canada is a sovereign state. We will strike free trade deals with the countries we wish to strike free trade deals,” he said.
He said there had been “mutually beneficial” elements of a deal before the talks broke down.
Carney was also buoyed by Monday's Liberal sweep of three special elections, including a decisive win in Chicoutimi-Le Fjord, Quebec, where the Conservatives fell to third place.
The victories brought the Liberals to 173 seats in the 343-seat House of Commons and reinforced Carney’s position as he confronts Trump over trade and Canadian sovereignty.
Nelson Wiseman, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto, said Trump’s annexation threats carry particular weight in Quebec. “Quebecers have the most to lose in an apocalyptic scenario where the U.S. absorbs Canada, and the status of the French language disappears,” he said.
U.S.-Canada trade talks collapsed after the two sides failed to reach a deal, and Trump imposed 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion in Canadian goods. Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on nearly $20 billion in U.S. goods are scheduled to take effect Sept. 8, with duties ranging from 15% to 50%.
Trump has repeatedly talked about making Canada the 51st U.S. state.
Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to journalists as he arrives at the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council in Ottawa, Canada, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to journalists as he arrives at the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council in Ottawa, Canada, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks with members of the media as he arrives at the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council in Ottawa, on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks with members of the media as he arrives at the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council in Ottawa, on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks with members of the media as he arrives at the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council in Ottawa, on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
