Josue De Paula is headed back to Los Angeles, and that trip may end with a postseason roster spot.
The Dodgers are bringing the 21-year-old outfielder up from Triple-A during their Wild Card bye week, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. Dave Roberts said De Paula will join the club in L.A. on Tuesday, and that the team will also have “conversations” about adding Hyeseong Kim as a pinch-running option for the NLDS.
De Paula already gave the Dodgers a look earlier this season, and he made the most of it. After Shohei Ohtani went on the injured list with a biceps injury, De Paula spent 11 games with the big-league club. In that stretch, he homered, drove in seven runs, and posted a 1.081 OPS across seven games.
That kind of production has put him in the mix for October. The Dodgers still need an injury exemption from the commissioner’s office, but De Paula’s arrival during the bye week sure looks like a sign they’re seriously weighing him for the postseason.
He isn’t the only name in the conversation, though. Dalton Rushing is also getting a chance to make his case as an impact bat off the bench. Rushing has barely played in recent months after partially tearing his UCL earlier in the season, but Roberts wants to keep him in the picture because of what he did earlier in the year.
On the season, Rushing has a .795 OPS with 12 homers and 36 RBIs. Since returning from the injured list, he has made one appearance, striking out in Saturday’s game against the San Francisco Giants.
The Dodgers also have some other roster business to sort out. Blake Treinen was ruled out for the rest of the season on Saturday, which opens another spot to fill.
That could push the club toward a reliever from Triple-A like Kyle Hurt or Seth Halvorsen, or possibly a long reliever such as Emmet Sheehan. Edgardo Henriquez is on the injured list as well and could be back by the time the roster has to be finalized.
Plunkett also reported that the Dodgers are considering bringing back Hyeseong Kim for a pinch-running role, in a setup that would resemble the role Justin Dean played in 2025.
With the bye week in hand, the Dodgers have until Saturday, Oct. 1 to turn all of that uncertainty into a final postseason roster.
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