The Los Angeles Dodgers are calling up top prospect Josue De Paula, multiple people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely discuss a move that has not yet been announced, told The Athletic.De Paula, a 21-year-old outfielder, will join the Dodgers straight from Double A. He enjoyed a breakout season in the Texas League, hitting .303 with a .948 OPS and 31 stolen bases over 124 games for Tulsa. De Paula clubbed his 27th homer of the season Wednesday in the Drillers’ 10-1 rout of Northwest Arkansas.
AN ABSOLUTE MOONSHOT 🚀
Josue De Paula launches his 27th homer of the season! pic.twitter.com/4aN42RxTf7
— Tulsa Drillers (@TulsaDrillers) September 10, 2026De Paula, who signed with the Dodgers as an international free agent in 2022, entered the season ranked as the No. 20 prospect in baseball, per The Athletic’s Keith Law. He has excited evaluators throughout the organization, with one noting that De Paula has the Dodgers’ best pure hit tool since Corey Seager.DePaula has spent time working with special advisor Jason Heyward, who raved about De Paula’s swing and overall approach.
“It’s definitely something that’s fun to watch,” Heyward said in a recent interview with The Athletic. “It’s much easier said than done, what he’s able to do in the box, maintain his tempo. He goes at the pace he would like to go at, and that allows him to make good decisions, whether it’s chasing very rarely and on pitches that are in the zone, getting the kind of swing off that he wants to get off. That’s the name of the game.”The Dodgers have never promoted a position player to the major-league team directly from Double A under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. But with uncertainty surrounding Shohei Ohtani’s status and De Paula needing to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason, the Dodgers made an unorthodox decision to promote one of their most exciting young prospects.It’s unclear what position De Paula will play. It likely will depend on Ohtani’s health as the Dodgers mull a possible IL stint. Ohtani has not played in six of the Dodgers’ last seven games as he battles a slew of physical limitations. If the Dodgers place Ohtani on the injured list, he will be inactive for at least 15 days, per his status as a two-way player. That would clear the way for De Paula to see everyday playing time as the team’s primary designated hitter.De Paula could also play either corner outfield spot, though with Teoscar Hernández playing well and the team trying to find late-season lightning in a bottle with Kyle Tucker, that option seems less likely.The Dodgers have generally refrained from calling up top prospects unless there is a clear route to consistent playing time. De Paula getting summoned indicates the organization sees a window to give its top prospect his first real shot in the big leagues.
