Dodgers to Call Up No. 6 Prospect Josue De Paula Friday as Ohtani and Freeman Injuries Pile Up

The Dodgers are down to their last off day before a season-defining stretch, and their two best left-handed hitters can barely walk. So the front office is calling up the best hitting prospect in the organization to fill the gap.

Outfielder Josue De Paula will officially join the Dodgers Friday when they open a road series against the Miami Marlins, according to Alden González of ESPN, who first reported the move Wednesday night. Multiple outlets, including the New York Post and MLB Trade Rumors, confirmed the call-up will bypass Triple-A entirely, sending De Paula straight from Double-A Tulsa to the big leagues.

Katie Woo of The Athletic noted this is the first time in 12 years under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman that the Dodgers have promoted a position player directly from Double-A.

Why Now

The timing lines up with a lineup falling apart. Shohei Ohtani has missed six of his last seven games dealing with right arm soreness on top of ongoing left knee discomfort, and manager Dave Roberts told reporters Wednesday that a stint on the 15-day injured list is "a possibility," according to the Los Angeles Times. Ohtani has already been ruled out from pitching again in 2026.

Freddie Freeman, the team's leading hitter, sat out Wednesday's game with right knee soreness. He is hitting .136 in September and has gone 1-for-18 in his recent slump, per the Los Angeles Times. Roberts said an IL move for Freeman is not currently expected, calling it more likely he gets a few days of rest to get ready for October.

Center fielder Andy Pages is also out, recovering from a fractured left hand, according to ESPN.

Despite the injuries, the Dodgers are not exactly struggling. They beat the Cincinnati Reds 14-1 on Wednesday night behind a career-best 10-strikeout outing from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, extending their winning streak to seven games and pushing their magic number for a fifth straight NL West title down to six, per the Los Angeles Times. Roberts openly said his bigger concern now is health, not standings: "It's just how to get guys back, but give them enough time to prepare for the postseason," he said. "Does that mean more off days for those guys? Probably."

Who Is De Paula

De Paula, 21, signed out of the Dominican Republic for just under $400,000 in 2022, according to ESPN. He spent his entire age-21 season at Double-A Tulsa and hit .302/.400/.539 with 26 home runs, 36 doubles, two triples and 31 stolen bases across 123 games and 583 plate appearances. The New York Post cited a slightly different final line of 27 homers and 101 RBIs, but every source agrees he was one of the most productive hitters at any level of the minors this year.

He walked at a 13.7% clip while striking out less than 15% of the time, per MLB Trade Rumors. This is a rare power-patience combination for a player his age. He ranked seventh in the Texas League in OPS among hitters with at least 200 plate appearances, younger than every player above him except Cardinals prospect Rainiel Rodriguez.

Prospect rankings vary slightly by outlet but land in the same neighborhood: fourth by Baseball America, sixth by MLB Pipeline, and 10th by ESPN's Kiley McDaniel. He's a two-time MLB Futures Game participant and won MVP of last year's event.

Defense is the obvious question mark. Scouting reports, cited by both MLB Trade Rumors and an unattributed wire summary, describe De Paula as a below-average corner outfielder whom some evaluators project as a pure designated hitter long-term. Nobody in the sourcing disputes that his value is almost entirely about the bat.

What It Means Short-Term

With Ohtani sidelined and Freeman banged up, De Paula's clearest path to at-bats is at DH while the Dodgers manage their stars' workloads down the stretch, according to ESPN. The corresponding roster move to clear a 40-man spot had not been announced as of Wednesday night.

The Dodgers have internal left-handed options already on the 40-man roster, including Ryan Ward and Hyeseong Kim, plus another well-regarded outfield prospect in James Tibbs III, per the New York Post. If De Paula struggles against big-league pitching in his first extended look, the Dodgers have alternatives ready. If Ohtani's IL decision comes down in the next 48 hours, as Roberts has signaled it might, that will determine how much big-league runway the 21-year-old actually gets before October roster decisions get made.