There was a time when Luis Campusano, the first catcher selected by any team in 2017, was the Padres’ future at the position. But Campusano is 27 years old, out of options as he looks to lock down a role this spring and hasn’t had regular action in the majors in more than a year.
That would be troubling enough if the Padres’ top prospect at the position, Ethan Salas, hadn’t essentially lost an entire year of development to injury. The Padres have also traded away the likes of Brandon Valenzuela and J.D. Gonzalez in recent years, but the organization spent a good chunk of their draft capital this summer on a pair of high-upside high school prospects to begin to beef up its catcher pipeline.
1 | Ethan Salas
Opening day age: 19
How acquired: Signed as a minor league free agent in January 2023
Height / Weight: 6-foot-1 / 185 pounds
Bats / Throws: Left / Right
2025 team(s): San Antonio (AA)
2025 stats: .188 AVG, .325 OBP, .219 SLG, 0 HRs, 5 RBIs, 5 runs, 6 walks, 5 strikeouts, 2 steals (10 games, 41 plate appearances)
Need to know: The top remaining prospect in an organization raided regularly at the trade deadline, Salas was shut down in April due to a stress reaction in his lower back. The injury required just rest and rehab, but Salas’ timeline was pushed back from the second half of the season, to the Arizona Fall League/winter ball to now spring training. The Padres insist they are simply erring on the side of caution with a very young player who was billed as a potential All-Star who could impact the game on both sides of the ball when he signed for $5.6 million out of Venezuela. Salas had nine homers and an .837 OPS to start the 2023 season in Lake Elsinore, but he’s got a .589 OPS in 122 games in high A and a .532 OPS in 19 games in Double-A as he’s struggled to gather momentum for his career.
Padres catching prospect Lamar King Jr. at low Single-A Lake Elsinore. (Artur Ivanov / Lake Elsinore Storm)
2 | Lamar King Jr.
Opening day age: 22
How acquired: Fourth round in 2022 (Calvert Hall College High, Md.)
Height / Weight: 6-foot-3 / 215 pounds
Bats / Throws: Right / Right
2025 team(s): Lake Elsinore (A), Fort Wayne (A+)
2025 stats: .274 AVG, .353 OBP, .384 SLG, 4 HRs, 44 RBIs, 54 runs, 44 walks, 93 strikeouts, 21 steals (105 games, 456 plate appearances)
Need to know: The son of a former NFL defensive lineman, King had been slowed after sustaining a shoulder dislocation on a slide in 2023. He got back to catching regularly this year and was beginning to live up to his potential as an offensive-minded catcher as King was hitting .286/.370/.408 with four homers in 81 games in the California League when he was promoted to Fort Wayne for the final month of the season (.589 OPS). Loud pull power was King’s top tool at the time of the draft. He’s played in just 192 games since the draft but played 17 games in the Arizona Fall League this offseason, going 13-for-51 with two doubles (.691 OPS).
3 | Ty Harvey
Opening day age: 19
How acquired: Fifth round in 2025 (Inspiration Academy, Fla.)
Height / Weight: 6-foot-2 / 215 pounds
Bats / Throws: Right / Right
2025 team(s): Lake Elsinore (A)
2025 stats: .174 AVG., .367 OBP, .174 SLG, 0 HRs, 1 RBI, 3 runs, 7 walks, 12 strikeouts, 0 steals (7 games, 30 plate appearances)
Need to know: Signed for $1.5 million — more than triple the slot value to lure him away from Florida State — Harvey debuted late this summer at Lake Elsinore. An opinion from the Padres’ war room at the time of the draft labeled Harvey a “strong-bodied, offensive catcher with a short swing and power.” Additionally, Harvey is an above-average runner and has more than enough arm to stick behind the plate.
Padres catching prospect Truitt Madonna, an 11th-round pick in 2025, began his professional career at low Single-A Lake Elsinore. (Artur Ivanov / Lake Elsinore Storm)
4 | Truitt Madonna
Opening day age: 19
How acquired: 11th round in 2025 (Ballard High, Wash).
Height / Weight: 6-foot-3 / 215 pounds
Bats / Throws: Right / Right
2025 team(s): Lake Elsinore (A)
2025 stats: .185 AVG, .267 OBP, .278 SLG, 0 HRs, 5 RBIs, 4 runs, 6 walks, 23 strikeouts, 0 steals (14 games, 60 plate appearances)
Need to know: He signed for $650,000 in July, significantly over slot as the Padres lured him away from a commitment to UCLA (picks after the 10th round can be signed for up to $150,000 without counting against a team’s draft pool). Madonna hit two homers in 12 games in the summer draft league, experience that buoyed the Padres’ belief in his ability to handle a professional debut this summer in the California League. Madonna boasts raw power at the plate and above average arm strength behind the plate.
5 | Rodolfo Duran
Opening day age: 28
How acquired: Signed as a minor league free agent in January 2025
Height / Weight: 5-foot-9 / 181 pounds
Bats / Throws: Right / Right
2025 team(s): El Paso (AAA)
2025 stats: .288 AVG, .344 OBP, .503 SLG, 16 HRs, 73 RBIs, 63 runs, 27 walks, 68 strikeouts, 3 steals (86 games, 352 plate appearances)
Need to know: Signed out of Venezuela by the Phillies for $75,000 in 2014, Duran was billed as a power-hitting catcher with budding defensive tools when Baseball America ranked him No. 20 in the Phillies system in 2019. He, however, topped out at Triple-A in that system and signed with the Yankees after reaching minor league free agency in 2021. He also played in the Royals system before signing with the Padres last winter. He has yet to reach the majors, but in 2025 posted a career-high .847 OPS over 86 games in the Pacific Coast league. It was just his second season above .800. Duran is currently playing in the Dominican winter league for Estrellas, where he has three homers, seven RBIs and a .383/.408/.660 batting line across 17 games.
Others to know: Anthony Vilar (AA), Oswaldo Linares (AA), Brendan Durfee (A+), Jack Mathey (R), Victor Duarte (A+), Carlos Rodriguez (A), Yoiber Ocopio (A), Isaac Ponce (R), Colton Vincent (R), Jesus Castro (R)