The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to call up top prospect Josue De Paula from Double-A Tulsa, with Shohei Ohtani landing on the 15-day injured list.
It is an aggressive move for the Dodgers, and one that comes as they lack impact left-handed bats on their roster. Along with Ohtani landing on the IL, Freddie Freeman is also dealing with right knee discomfort, and the club previously placed Dalton Rushing on the IL.
That aggressiveness is highlighted by the fact that this is the first time Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has promoted a position player directly from Double-A to the Major Leagues, skipping Triple-A.
“I think our player development group is very confident in his ability to conduct an at-bat,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “You could argue the talent in Double-A is similar to Triple-A as far as pure arms and arm talent.
“I think we’ve seen him in (Spring Training) camp for two or three years. He doesn’t run from velocity; he controls the strike zone. I think this is a good opportunity for him to cut his teeth in the big leagues.”
De Paula continued to rise through the prospect rankings as he hit .303/.401/.547 with 37 doubles, 27 home runs and 104 RBI over 124 games with the Drillers this season. That shattered his previous career highs in doubles (17), homers (12) and RBI (62).
The decision also gives the Dodgers a chance to evaluate De Paula for a spot on the postseason roster. The Dodgers need a left-handed-hitting bench bat, and they have yet to receive any consistent production from Kyle Tucker in right field.
“Anything is possible, 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,” Roberts said.
Dodgers plan from Josue De Paula
The one major red flag with De Paula is his defensive ability. He is strictly a corner outfielder, and he still struggles in those spots.
For now, the Dodgers plan to have him fill in for Ohtani as the designated hitter on most nights, but he could also see a few opportunities in the corner outfield.
“I think we might run him out in left field, maybe if Teo gets an off day,” Roberts said. “But the lion’s share of his at-bats will come from the DH.”
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