SAN FRANCISCO -- It took longer than he probably expected, but has his first Major League hit.

In the fourth inning of the Padres’ game against the Giants on Sunday evening at Oracle Park, Salas -- the Padres’ top prospect per MLB Pipeline -- cracked a triple off the wall in right field, just below Levi’s Landing. 

Jung Hoo Lee ranged back to the warning track and made a valiant play to try and reel it in, though the ball eluded his clutches and careened toward right-center, at which point Salas lost his helmet rounding second on his way to third base.

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NBC broadcast cameras caught Manny Machado collecting the baseball from the dugout, ensuring the rookie will end up with that prized baseball.

It had been a tough go for the 20-year-old catching phenom since he was called up from Triple-A El Paso on Sept. 1, as Salas entered his second at-bat on Sunday 0-for-15. But the Padres felt a hit was coming, with manager Craig Stammen noting that Salas came close in some of his previous at-bats:

“He's going to get a hit,” said Stammen. “It's going to happen. It's hard to get hits in the Major Leagues. I think that's evident, and this is another example of that. But as long as he sticks with it, he'll be just fine.”