The Los Angeles Dodgers are taking an unusual gamble as Shohei Ohtani deals with another injury, turning to one of baseball’s most highly regarded young prospects despite his lack of experience above Double-A.
Ohtani was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday because of discomfort in his right arm. The move temporarily removes the four-time MVP from the Dodgers’ lineup as Los Angeles closes in on what would be its 13th NL West championship in 14 seasons.
Rather than make a conventional roster move, the Dodgers are calling up 21-year-old Josue De Paula directly from Double-A Tulsa. De Paula is scheduled to make his major league debut Friday in Miami as the designated hitter.
Dodgers Make History With De Paula Promotion
It is a significant leap. De Paula has never played a game at Triple-A, and the Dodgers have never previously promoted a position player directly from Double-A to the majors.
His performance this season helps explain why the organization is willing to take a chance.
De Paula has hit .303 with a .401 on-base percentage and .547 slugging percentage at Double-A, adding 27 home runs and 31 stolen bases. The 2025 Futures Game MVP is ranked as the No. 6 prospect in baseball and the top prospect in the Dodgers’ organization.
Manager Dave Roberts said the organization believes De Paula’s approach at the plate gives him a chance to handle major league pitching immediately.
“I think that our player development group is very confident in his ability to conduct an at-bat,” Roberts said. “You could argue that the talent in Double-A is similar to Triple-A as far as pure arms and arm talent.”
Roberts has also had several opportunities to watch De Paula against advanced competition during spring training.
“We’ve seen him in camp for two or three years. He doesn’t run from velocity. He controls the strike zone,” Roberts said. “This is just a good opportunity for him to cut his teeth in the big leagues kind of.”
Dodgers Finally Give Ohtani Time to Recover
The opportunity comes because the Dodgers finally decided Ohtani needed time to recover.
Roberts announced the injured-list decision late Wednesday, explaining that the team had attempted to keep Ohtani available before determining that rest was the better option.
“In talking to Shohei, the doctors, the training staff, it’s the right thing to do,” Roberts said. “We tried to kick the can as much as we could.”
Ohtani has been dealing with soreness in his right biceps and left knee for weeks. According to Roberts, Ohtani felt something in his arm following a swing Monday but did not inform the training staff until after Tuesday’s game.
“There was a swing Monday that he didn’t feel great on, hasn’t totally recovered from Monday,” Roberts said before Wednesday’s game.
Ohtani was absent from the starting lineup Wednesday for the sixth time in seven games. Los Angeles hardly struggled without him that night, routing the Cincinnati Reds 14-1 to complete a sweep and extend its winning streak to seven games.
The Dodgers will now head east for a seven-game road trip without their biggest star. Ohtani will remain in Los Angeles, where the initial plan calls for two or three days without hitting to let his arm settle down.
“Let’s get his body feeling well and then slowly ramp back up because now we do have time,” Roberts said.
Ohtani’s Return Could Come Just Before the Postseason
The timeline would make Ohtani eligible to return when the Dodgers begin a three-game home series against the San Diego Padres on September 22.
Roberts indicated the move is precautionary rather than a sign that the Dodgers expect Ohtani to miss substantial time.
“I do think that if the playoffs were tomorrow, he’d be in the lineup,” Roberts said. “I’m pretty confident that he’ll be ready to go on that 15th day.”
That timetable would leave Ohtani with six regular-season games, along with potential live batting sessions, to get ready for the postseason as Los Angeles prepares to pursue a third consecutive World Series championship.
“It’s certainly not ideal,” Roberts acknowledged. “The most important thing is him being as healthy as possible, not compromising his swing, and kind of bet on that.”
In the meantime, the Dodgers will get an unexpectedly early look at De Paula on baseball’s biggest stage. Instead of finishing his season in the minors and working his way through Triple-A, one of the sport’s top prospects is being dropped directly into a September playoff race.
His first assignment arrives Friday night in Miami, where the Dodgers will find out just how quickly their 21-year-old prospect can make the enormous jump from Double-A to the major leagues.
