The Los Angeles Dodgers have called up highly touted prospect Josue De Paula from Double-A Tulsa to fill the roster spot vacated by Shohei Ohtani, who was placed on the 15-day injured list with right arm discomfort.
De Paula, 21, is set to make his Major League debut Friday in Miami as the designated hitter. The move comes as the Dodgers, currently leading the NL West, aim to secure their 13th division title in 14 seasons.
This marks an unprecedented promotion for the Dodgers, who have never before called up a position player directly from Double-A. De Paula has posted impressive numbers in Tulsa this season, batting .303 with a .401 on-base percentage and a .547 slugging percentage, along with 27 home runs and 31 stolen bases. He has yet to play in Triple-A.
De Paula was named the MVP of the 2025 Futures Game and is currently ranked as the No. 6 prospect in Major League Baseball and the top prospect in the Dodgers' system. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed confidence in De Paula's ability to handle the pressure of the big leagues.
"I think that our player development group is very confident in his ability to conduct an at-bat. You could argue that the talent in Double-A is similar to Triple-A as far as pure arms and arm talent," Roberts said. "We've seen him in camp for two or three years. He doesn't run from velocity. He controls the strike zone. This is just a good opportunity for him to kind of cut his teeth in the big leagues."
Ohtani's move to the injured list on Wednesday followed weeks of managing lingering soreness in his right biceps and left knee. Roberts indicated that Ohtani's inability to recover fully from a swing on Monday prompted the decision to place him on the IL. "In talking to Shohei, the doctors, the training staff, it's the right thing to do. We tried to kick the can as much as we could," Roberts stated.
Ohtani is not expected to return until September 22, when the Dodgers host the San Diego Padres. He will not travel with the team for their upcoming seven-game East Coast road trip. "I do think that if the playoffs were tomorrow, he'd be in the lineup. I'm pretty confident that he'll be ready to go on that 15th day," Roberts said.
While the team is on the road, Ohtani will remain in Los Angeles to rest his arm for two to three days before resuming hitting activities. "Let's get his body feeling well and then slowly ramp back up because now we do have time," Roberts explained. Ohtani will have a limited number of games and batting practice sessions to prepare for the postseason upon his return.
"It's certainly not ideal," Roberts admitted. "The most important thing is him being as healthy as possible, not compromising his swing, and kind of bet on that."
