In a sudden pregame decision, the Padres have pulled Ethan Salas from the DH spot, opting for Gavin Sheets as they look to avoid an 0-2 deficit.
The plans for San Diego’s lineup shifted in a heartbeat Sunday morning. Less than an hour before the 1 p.m. first pitch, the club announced that 20-year-old Ethan Salas was a healthy scratch, effectively ending his bid to become the youngest designated hitter in postseason history.
Manager Craig Stammen’s decision to pull Salas—who on Wednesday already set a record as the youngest postseason catcher—removes one of the team’s most intriguing young bats from the order. Salas. who shook off an 0-for-15 start to his big-league career to hit .366 with 11 hits. two homers. and six RBIs over his last 30 at-bats. had just delivered a single off Jacob Misiorowski on Saturday. Stammen recently noted that the rookie had earned his opportunity to keep hitting. yet the team has moved in a different direction for the must-win contest.
Stepping into the DH role is Gavin Sheets. who will hit sixth. slotted between center fielder Jackson Merrill and shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Sheets brings a specific spark to the dugout; his lone swing this postseason was a pinch-hit. two-run home run during Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series. Having spent the latter part of the regular season recovering from a plantar plate tear in his left foot—only to return with a homer in the finale—Sheets makes his first postseason start today.
Behind the plate, Luis Campusano will take over catching duties to pair with right-hander Michael King. The battery has a deep history. with Campusano having caught 21 of King’s 32 regular-season starts. posting a 2.87 ERA in those outings. Campusano will bat eighth, just ahead of second baseman Jake Cronenworth. The team enters the day facing a rare hurdle: attempting to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time since September 1-2 in Cincinnati.
Michael King (12-10, 3.21 ERA) takes the mound looking to build on a dominant postseason run. Across 22 innings, he has maintained a 2.05 ERA and a stellar 27-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His previous postseason outing, a seven-inning shutout against the Cubs on Tuesday, included eight strikeouts and only one hit allowed. He will be opposed by Brewers right-hander Logan Henderson (11-3, 2.47 ERA), who makes his postseason debut today. While Henderson struck out seven Padres in their August meeting. he also took a loss after allowing three runs in 6⅓ innings.
The stakes are clear: the Padres are fighting to prevent an 0-2 hole. with the roof at American Family Field standing open for the 67-degree afternoon matchup. As Cronenworth put it. the team’s focus remains rooted in the experience inside their clubhouse and the way they have carried themselves throughout the season.
Padres Ethan Salas Gavin Sheets MLB playoffs Michael King Logan Henderson San Diego Padres Brewers Game 2