The Padres announced which players will be going to Arizona in February as non-roster invites to 2026 big league Spring Training. It’s not a lengthy list, thanks to trades and the fact that many of San Diego’s better prospects are on the 40-man roster. However, that list does include Ethan Salas and Jagger Haynes, two of the best currently in the system.
The prospects
Arguably, the most notable name on this list is Ethan Salas, one of the best prospects standing in the Padres’ system after the multitude of trades from 2025. However, for Salas, this will be part of what makes this a big year.
Salas, still 19 years of age, only played 10 games last season in Double-A, spending most of the season on the IL. The Padres originally assigned him to Peoria in the AFL last September but he did not play in the fall league.
After what was a strong showing offensively in 2023, Salas’ stats tailed off since. During the 2024 campaign, the 19-year-old slashed .206/.288/.311 with four home runs and 33 extra-base hits over 111 contests.
Salas is one of three catchers among the non-roster invitees, alongside Anthony Vilar, the returning Blake Hunt, and former Phillies farmhand Rodolfo Duran.
The other big prospect among the non-roster invites is left-hander Jagger Haynes.
Haynes, a 23-year-old left-hander, was a fifth-round pick by the Padres back in 2020. The North Carolina native didn’t throw a pitch professionally until 2023, missing all of 2021 and 2022 on the IL. Haynes’ walk rates have been elevated over the years, as his BB/9 were above 5.0 in 2024 and 2025. However, he does get swing-and-miss.
As we noted in our 2025 Padres farm review, Haynes finished above the league median in both Whiff% and GB% down in the Texas League. Low-90s fastball, coupled with a slider and a changeup.
The list of prospects going to Arizona includes Marcos Castanon and Romeo Sanabria, both of whom were among the co-home run leaders with Double-A San Antonio. Those two will be joined alongside infielders Clay Dungan, Carlos Rodriguez, Nick Schnell, and Francisco Acuna,
As for other pitchers, Manuel Castro, Ethan Routzahn, Francis Pena, Ryan Och, and former Brewers farmhand Justin Yeager will be headed to Arizona. That group of six will join Sean Boyle and Evan Fitterer.
Other notables
San Diego will have many former Major League hitters in camp.
Ex-Twin Jose Miranda, as well as former Ranger Nick Solak and Samad Taylor, will vie for roster spots. Former Yankee Pablo Reyes will be among the outfielders in camp.
Moving to the pitching staff, the Padres will have several familiar faces. Logan Gillaspie, Omar Cruz, and Jackson Wolf all have pitched in the Majors for the Padres at some point.
The Padres also signed left-hander Marco Gonzales and invited him to camp. Gonzales last pitched at the MLB level in 2024 with the Pirates.
Check out more of our MLB and Minor League coverage, including a look at who the Braves invited to camp this year.