Dodgers Calling Up Top Prospect Josue De Paula for MLB Debut
The Dodgers are giving one of baseball's best prospects his first opportunity in the Major Leagues.
Los Angeles is calling up outfielder Josue De Paula directly from Double-A Tulsa, with manager Dave Roberts confirming that the 21-year-old is expected to make his MLB debut Friday when the Dodgers open their series against the Miami Marlins.
The move comes as Shohei Ohtani heads to the 15-day injured list with lingering issues involving his left knee and right biceps. De Paula will receive some of the available at-bats at designated hitter while Ohtani is sidelined, giving the Dodgers an extended look at their top prospect during the final weeks of the regular season.
And this isn't a prospect being promoted simply because the Dodgers need another body.
De Paula has forced his way into the conversation with one of the strongest offensive seasons anywhere in the organization.
De Paula Earned the Promotion at Double-A
De Paula spent the entire 2026 season with Tulsa and hit .303/.401/.547 with a .948 OPS across 124 games.
He produced 27 home runs, 37 doubles, 104 RBIs, 106 runs and 31 stolen bases, while drawing 81 walks against only 87 strikeouts.
The plate discipline is particularly notable for a hitter this young.
De Paula began the season as one of the youngest regulars in the Texas League and finished it looking like a hitter who had very little left to prove at the level.
He even punctuated his run with Tulsa by hitting his 27th home run Wednesday night against Northwest Arkansas, one day before news of his promotion broke.
MLB Pipeline currently ranks De Paula as the Dodgers' No. 1 prospect and the No. 6 prospect in all of baseball. Baseball America recently ranked him No. 4 overall.
Instead of sending him to Triple-A for another developmental step, Los Angeles is taking him straight to the majors.
Ohtani's IL Stint Creates a Real Opportunity
The timing is directly connected to Ohtani.
Ohtani's placement on the injured list creates an opening at designated hitter that allows the Dodgers to evaluate De Paula without immediately asking him to handle an everyday defensive role in the majors.
Roberts said the club sees a legitimate “runway” for De Paula to get Major League at-bats while Ohtani is out.
“Anything's possible,” Roberts said when asked whether De Paula could potentially work his way into the Dodgers' postseason plans. “But I think the first part of it, the thought was there is a little bit of a runway now with Shohei on the IL, and we can get him some Major League at-bats and see how that looks.”
That is probably the best way to view the promotion.
This is not yet an announcement that De Paula will be part of the October roster.
It is an audition.
And unlike most September auditions, this one involves one of the highest-upside bats in the sport.
Dodgers Can Focus on De Paula's Bat
There is still development remaining in De Paula's game.
His defense has been one of the bigger questions surrounding his prospect profile. He has played both left and right field for Tulsa this season and committed eight errors. MLB Pipeline grades his fielding below average and has long viewed his offensive ability as the carrying tool.
That matters less in the immediate future because the Dodgers can primarily use him at DH.
Roberts also indicated De Paula will receive some opportunities in the corner outfield, but Los Angeles does not have to throw him into an everyday defensive assignment from Day 1.
The Dodgers want to find out whether his advanced approach and power can translate immediately against Major League pitching.
MLB Pipeline describes De Paula as the organization's most advanced young hitter since Corey Seager and gives both his hit tool and power a 60 grade on the 20-to-80 scouting scale.
That is why this promotion carries considerably more intrigue than a typical September call-up.
A Rapid Rise Through the Dodgers System
De Paula's path to Los Angeles has moved quickly.
Born in Brooklyn before later moving to the Dominican Republic, he signed with the Dodgers for $397,500 in January 2022.
He immediately established himself as one of the organization's most promising offensive talents, hitting .349 with a .970 OPS in his first season in the Dominican Summer League.
From there, he steadily climbed the system.
By 2025, he had reached Double-A despite being only 20 years old. A year later, he has gone from entering the season as an elite prospect to getting a Major League opportunity in the middle of a Dodgers playoff push.
He is still only 21.
One More Roster Move Is Coming
There is one piece of roster business the Dodgers still need to handle.
De Paula is not currently on Los Angeles' 40-man roster, so the Dodgers will need to clear a 40-man spot before selecting his contract Friday. Ohtani moving to the 15-day IL opens an active-roster position but does not remove him from the 40-man roster.
The Dodgers had not announced that corresponding 40-man move when the call-up news broke.
De Paula was going to need 40-man protection this offseason anyway ahead of the Rule 5 Draft, so the organization is essentially accelerating a decision that was already coming.
Could De Paula Force His Way Into October?
That's now the fascinating part.
The Dodgers aren't asking De Paula to save their season. Los Angeles has won seven consecutive games and enters the Miami series playing its best baseball in weeks.
But Ohtani's absence has unexpectedly created a window.
If De Paula hits, Roberts will have another decision to make when the postseason roster is assembled.
There are reasons to temper expectations. He has never faced Triple-A pitching, let alone Major League pitching. Twenty games against Double-A competition do not guarantee immediate success against the best pitchers in the world.
But the Dodgers aren't promoting him because they believe he has nothing to offer yet.
They want to see.
And after a season in which De Paula hit .303, reached base more than 40 percent of the time and combined 27 home runs with 31 stolen bases, there is little downside to finding out whether one of baseball's premier young hitters is ready sooner than expected.
For Dodgers fans, Friday suddenly became considerably more interesting.
Josue De Paula is coming to the majors.
And with October only weeks away, his first opportunity could become much more than a brief September preview.