The Dodgers’ offense has hit a rough patch, and plenty of fans think they already know the fix: bring Josue De Paula back.
Los Angeles sent the rookie back to the minors on Wednesday, September 23rd after 11 games that showed exactly why he had people buzzing. De Paula was swinging it well, posting a .323/.500/.545 line with a 1.081 OPS and forcing pitchers to deal with a young bat that brought energy to an older roster.
The move made room for Shohei Ohtani’s return from the injured list, with Ohtani taking over the designated hitter spot from De Paula. Dalton Rushing is also back, giving the Dodgers another player to get at-bats and push his case for a postseason roster spot.
Even with the demotion, Dave Roberts and Andrew Friedman both spoke highly of De Paula and made it clear he remains in the mix for October. Since he was sent down on Wednesday, he has to wait 10 days before he can be promoted again, which puts him on track to be available for Game 1 of the NLDS.
But while the front office is weighing options, the fan base has already made its opinion loud and clear.
The Dodgers have scored only two runs over their last 18 innings and dropped both games to the San Diego Padres since De Paula was sent down. That stretch only added fuel to the reaction online, especially after De Paula’s final game on Tuesday, September 22nd, when he went 2-for-3 with a triple, a walk, and a stolen base.
“Hmm, maybe sending JDP down wasn’t the right move after all,” a fan said after the Dodgers lost on Thursday.
“Miss you JDP,” another commented.
“Damn JDP and will smith really carry that much weight huh,” a third added.
“Josue was only gonna get better BRING HIM BACK,” a fourth wrote.
The conversation has only gotten louder when it comes to the postseason picture. For a lot of fans, this is no longer about whether De Paula should return - it’s about when.
“Dude was on fire!! And confident!!
Don’t understand at all!! And he was starting and succeeding,” a fan said.
“JDP needs to be there. He proved it!!” another chimed in.
“Cmon guys, we all know JDP will make that playoff roster, if he doesn’t I’m going to the front office myself,” a third fan said.
If De Paula isn’t on the postseason roster, the backlash from Dodgers fans is going to be loud.
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