Los Angeles Dodgers Announce Bold Decision on Top Prospect

The Los Angeles Dodgers are bringing one of baseball’s most highly regarded young hitters to the majors this weekend, adding outfielder Josue De Paula to the roster as they open a three-game series against the Miami Marlins.

The 21-year-old will join the club Friday in Miami after spending the entire 2026 season with Double-A Tulsa. The move was first reported Wednesday night by ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez and comes as the Dodgers try to stay healthy enough to close out the National League West.

“The Dodgers are calling up their best prospect, OF Josue De Paula, sources told ESPN. He will be with the team on Friday, for the start of a weekend series in Miami. More to come.”

De Paula is the Dodgers’ top prospect and ranks sixth overall in baseball according to MLB Pipeline. He is making an unusual leap, skipping Triple-A entirely.

The promotion is the first time the Dodgers have called up a Double-A position player during Andrew Friedman’s tenure as president of baseball operations.

Los Angeles enters the Marlins series riding a season-high seven-game winning streak. The Dodgers pounded the Cincinnati Reds 14-1 on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium, completing a sweep even though Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman both sat out.

That blowout followed a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals earlier in the week. The team has Thursday off before traveling to South Florida.

Ohtani has missed six of the last seven games with soreness in his right arm and discomfort in his left knee. Manager Dave Roberts said before Wednesday’s game that an injured-list stint for Ohtani was a possibility.

Freeman has been dealing with right knee soreness that left him one for 18 recently. Roberts said an IL move for Freeman was “absolutely not” on the table. Neither star appeared in the lineup Wednesday.

De Paula gives the Dodgers another left-handed bat at a moment when they need one. The outfielder slashed .303/.401/.547 with a .948 OPS in 124 games for Tulsa. He hit 27 home runs, drove in 104 runs and stole 31 bases.

He also walked 87 times against 81 strikeouts, showing the kind of plate discipline the Dodgers prize. Evaluators have compared his hit tool to that of former Dodgers star Corey Seager.

Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2022 for a bonus just under $400,000, De Paula moved quickly through the lower minors. He has played in the Futures Game twice and was named MVP of the event last year after homering.

Where he plays in the field remains an open question. The Dodgers have used Tommy Edman in center, Kyle Tucker in right and a mix of Teoscar Hernandez and Alex Call in left. De Paula is viewed as a corner outfielder whose defense has improved this season but is still considered a work in progress.

The Dodgers also have other left-handed options in Triple-A, including Ryan Ward, Hyeseong Kim and James Tibbs III. Front office officials still chose De Paula, in part because he must be added to the 40-man roster this winter to be protected from the Rule 5 draft.

Los Angeles has already shown it values him highly. The club refused to include him in deadline talks for pitcher Tarik Skubal, whom the Dodgers eventually acquired without surrendering their top two outfield prospects.

The timing is aggressive. Most position players spend time in Triple-A before reaching the majors. Friedman’s staff has been willing to skip that step only for pitchers until now.

De Paula’s arrival also gives the Dodgers a potential designated-hitter option if Ohtani needs more rest before October. The team’s magic number to clinch its 13th NL West title in 14 seasons dropped to six after Wednesday’s rout.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto struck out 10 over seven innings in that 14-1 win, and the lineup produced four home runs without its two biggest left-handed threats. The offense has been rolling even as injuries pile up.

Still, September call-ups are often about more than the final weeks of the regular season. De Paula now has a chance to show whether his bat is ready for October baseball.

The Marlins series begins Friday night in Miami. How quickly De Paula gets into the lineup will depend on the health of Ohtani and Freeman and on how manager Dave Roberts wants to use his extra outfield depth.

For a club already built to win now, the addition of a 21-year-old who just mashed 27 homers in Double-A is another sign the Dodgers are not waiting around.