The Dodgers are bringing up top outfield prospect Josue De Paula, reports Alden González of ESPN. L.A. is off tomorrow, so the move won’t be made official until Friday’s series opener in Miami. They’ll need to create space on both the active and 40-man rosters.
The corresponding move isn’t clear, though it’s notable that De Paula’s injury comes as Shohei Ohtani was again out of tonight’s lineup. Ohtani has already been ruled out from pitching again in 2026 and has only made one appearance at designated hitter within the past week. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters before tonight’s game that it was possible Ohtani could require a stint on the 15-day injured list (link via Jack Harris of The California Post).
Roberts could provide additional information postgame, as the Dodgers are wrapping up a blowout victory over Cincinnati. Ohtani has battled left knee discomfort for a couple months and has had right arm discomfort over the past week-plus. Freddie Freeman was also out of the lineup today due to right knee soreness, though Roberts said that’s not expected to require an IL stint (related by Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic).
Whatever the corresponding move, the Dodgers feel it’s the right time to take a look at one of the best hitters in the minor leagues. De Paula has spent his entire age-21 campaign at the Double-A level, mashing at a .302/.400/.539 clip across 583 plate appearances. He has connected on 26 home runs, 36 doubles, and a pair of triples. De Paula has also stolen 31 bases, though he’s been caught 10 times.
The baserunning is unlikely to be a huge part of De Paula’s game, as scouting reports peg him as a below-average runner. His hit/power combination is among the best of any player in the minor leagues, though, as his dominance of generally older Double-A pitching demonstrates. De Paula ranks seventh among Texas League hitters (min. 200 plate appearances) with a .939 OPS. He’s the second-youngest player among the league’s top 10 hitters, older only than Cardinals top prospect Rainiel Rodriguez. De Paula has walked at an excellent 13.7% clip while striking out less than 15% of the time and consistently getting to plus power.
The production was strong enough that the Dodgers will jump De Paula directly to the big leagues. That’s a rare move for this front office, as Katie Woo of Athletic observes it’s the first time in 12 years under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman that the Dodgers are calling up a position player prospect directly from Double-A.
More to come.