SHILDT SAYS: Leading prospects De Vries, Salas, Nett get starts vs. Dodgers; Tatis feeling better, Reynolds has foot in boot

Close-up photo of Ethan Salas in his catchers gear

Three of the Padres’ top prospects — №1 shortstop Leodalis De Vries, №2 catcher Ethan Salas and №20 right-handed starter Braden Nett — started on the road against the Dodgers’ Sunday.

“I’m excited,” Padres’ manager Mike Shildt said of seeing the trio together in game action against the defending World Series champions.

“Every day is a great opportunity for everybody on the field,” Shildt continued. “But today is an exciting day for the organization. De Vries is going to play shortstop and Salas is going to be behind the plate.”

“They’ve earned it. They’ve earned the opportunity. Salas has clearly played a little bit in some Cactus League games. It’s time for those guys to start taking their next steps toward getting here permanently.”

“Nett has a lot of weapons. Just go trust it. Be aggressive. Enjoy the process.”

Photo of Fernando Tatis Jr. sitting down in the bullpen next to Leodalis De Vries

Fernando Tatis Jr. was back at practice Sunday after being ill for two days.

“I think he’s going to do something light,” Shildt said of Tatis. “I got a little bit of feedback. He’s feeling better and he’s in a better place. There’s a good chance he’s going to do something today to get him moving around a little bit.”

Not moving around was right-handed reliever Sean Reynolds, who has his right foot in a restraining boot and is also ill with the flu.

“Sean had a stress reaction in his right foot about a week ago and he’s been away a couple days with a little bit of the flu,” said Shildt. “It’s been a couple rough days for Sean.”

“We’re still trying to determine the length of how long he’ll be out. We’re immobilizing it. He’s in a boot and we’re just trying to make sure he rests it. How long that takes will be determined. It’s a long season. He’ll be back before we know it.”