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What to Expect from Dodgers Outfielder Josue De Paula

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What to Expect from Dodgers Outfielder Josue De Paula

Originally posted on New Baseball Media
By Chris Studley | Last updated Sep 11, 2026 9:58 AM ET

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Arguably the best prospect in the Dodgers’ system, outfielder Josue De Paula is expected to bypass Triple-A and move up to the Majors. The move comes amidst injuries to the big-league roster. But also, a very impressive year from the current Double-A hits king.

A Look at De Paula

Josue De Paula was signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent in 2022, even though he was originally born in the club’s old home of Brooklyn. De Paula made an immediate impact in the DSL that year, posting a .970 OPS with 20 extra-base hits over 53 games.

That set the stage for what would be a meteoric rise through the Dodgers’ system.

De Paula only hit two home runs in the California League three years ago, although he posted a .396 on-base percentage with Rancho Cucamonga. But then, the power slowly crept up and showed up for the now-21-year-old. Repeating Low-A to start 2024, De Paula hit 10 home runs between High-A and Low-A that year. He slashed .268/.404/.405 with 27 stolen bases.

Last season, though, was De Paula’s breakout campaign. He slashed .263/.406/.421 with 29 extra-base hits, posted one of the better Whiff% rates in the Midwest League, and wound up winning the Futures Game MVP Award. And that set the stage for 2026, when he hit 27 home runs, stole 31 bases, and walked 81 times over 124 contests with Double-A.

Overall, he slashed .303/.401/.547 with the Drillers in 2026. His 152 hits in the Texas League were the most among players in that circuit, and three ahead of Phillies prospect Raylin Heredia for the most among all Double-A players.

De Paula showed more home run power in 2025, and that obviously grew in 2026. He’s a big, strong athlete who showed the ability to turn on pitches on a whim. But what’s interesting is that De Paula was a high-volume line drive hitter in 2025 with Great Lakes. That remained true with a 2G.1% LD% that ranked in the top 50% of Double-A hitters over the last two months (7/15-9/10).

(via New Baseball Media)

But as you can see, De Paula can also elevate and had one of the higher Pull FB% (8.7%) in Double-A over that span.

The 21-year-old isn’t a high-volume take-hitter but didn’t take a lot of called strikes. Notably, he walked a lot, as De Paula almost walked as many times as he struck out (87) this season with Tulsa.

De Paula didn’t strike out a lot down in Double-A. The bat stays in the zone, and he was able to consistently put ball on ball, which resulted in very low Whiff% rates. From July 15 through September 10, his Whiff% among Texas League% was in the top 10, and it wasn’t much lower when expanded among all Double-A hitters.

(via New Baseball Media)

Defensively, De Paula saw some time in center field during the early years of his pro career. But since 2024, he’s flipped between left and right field. He also saw a good amount of time as a DH with Tulsa.

The Dodgers are scheduled to promote De Paula, who is no longer on the active roster for Double-A Tulsa, on September 11.

Analysis

De Paula takes the place of Shohei Ohtani, who will land on the injured list on the 11th after dealing with bicep and knee problems for several reasons. The question, some may ask, is why De Paula over players like James Tibbs and Zach Ehrhard, both of whom are in Triple-A?

For one, De Paula hit very well in Double-A. And realistically, he’s the kind of hitter who may very well go to Triple-A, hit well for a couple of weeks, and then immediately push his way up to the Majors. But two, this is a real audition for 2027 & beyond. He has to be an option for the Dodgers next year, especially since De Paula would have been Rule 5-eligible after 2026.

Meaning, the Dodgers get ahead of things by putting him on the 40-man roster now.

So, De Paula, at least for the next few weeks, will get an early taste of Major League pitching. But more importantly, he’ll have to produce for a Dodgers offense that, realistically, needs a push right now given the injuries that’ve piled up.

This article first appeared on New Baseball Media and was syndicated with permission.

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