The San Diego Padres lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 4-3, on Tuesday and fell to 73-66 on the year. Randy Vásquez allowed two earned runs and struck out three across 4.2 innings on the mound. Bradgley Rodriguez and Yuki Matsui combined for four strikeouts and just one hit allowed across the next 2.1 frames, but Adrian Morejon allowed a pair of earned runs off of two hits in the eighth inning that led to his third loss of the year. On the offensive side of things, Fernando Tatis Jr. slugged two home runs in the fifth and ninth innings, both of which were solo shots. Samad Taylor and Jackson Merrill each enjoyed two-hit outings, as well. In other news, there are two Friars predicted to have some end-of-season awards, per MLB insiderJim Bowden of The Athletic. It has been a tumultuous season, but longtime fans of baseball know it's not about how you start the year, but how you finish. Additionally, the Padres officially selected the contract of 20-year-old catcher Ethan Salas along with a right-handed pitcher now that rosters have expanded to 28 players (up from 26). In an unfortunate corresponding move, Luis Rengifo was moved to the 60-day injured list now that he is out for the remainder of the year. Salas started the 2026 campaign in Double-A and now sits closer to realizing his MLB dream than ever before. In 24 Triple-A games, his slash line of .326/.410/.539 with an OPS of .949 only further pushes the question of when Salas will finally make his MLB debut. Manager Craig Stammen revealed the plan for his young backstop moving forward and all the possibilities that may accompany his imminent debut."I think there's a lot of different ideas on the table and ultimately we'll have to make the decision and decide when that first game is for him," Stammen said ahead of Tuesday's game in which Salas didn't play. "Catching or DHing or whatever."Craig Stammen spoke about the decision to call up Ethan Salas, what his role could look like and the benefits of carrying 3 catchers: pic.twitter.com/TPqr095icU— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) September 1, 2026Here’s all the latest Padres news and stories (click the headline for the full article): Padres Predicted to Have 2 End-of-Season Award Winners in Major Surprise Padres Officially Call Up Ethan Salas, Key Pitcher for Postseason Push Padres Lineup vs Reds: Ethan Salas Not Starting, Fernando Tatis Jr Playing Second BasePadres Tweets of the DayThe Padres have officially selected the contract of Ethan Salas, paving the way for him to make his MLB debut at 20 years old🚨🚨🚨🚨Read below for the team's full September call-up roster move⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/xHbR88nUe4— Padres On SI (@PadresOnSI) September 1, 2026— Padres Nation (@NationPadres) September 1, 2026That one got out of here in a hurry. pic.twitter.com/ZIf39OfTul— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 1, 2026Padres top prospect Ethan Salas arrived in the dugout and was greeted by his new teammates. pic.twitter.com/5ZW7fGzsqJ— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) September 2, 2026After today's game, Ethan Salas spoke about what the last 24 hours have been like for him, what he's learned over the past few years and how he felt when he got the call that he was being promoted: pic.twitter.com/cmXOry5yfC— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) September 2, 2026Wallpaper refresh. pic.twitter.com/ynoOkFdPsp— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 1, 2026— MLB (@MLB) September 1, 2026Fernando Tatis crushes his second homer of the game to make it a one-run game in the ninth! pic.twitter.com/g4cqWotSpv— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 2, 2026TY HARVEY BOMB!!!!#EmbraceTheStorm🌩️ pic.twitter.com/1XBQn6VVT4— Lake Elsinore Storm (@Storm_Baseball) September 2, 2026Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X/Twitter for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow