Dave Roberts put Josue De Paula in a spot that asked way too much, and the Dodgers prospect paid for it.
Down to the final strike of Game 2 of the NLDS, Max Muncy launched a solo homer off a worn-down Atlanta Braves reliever Didier Fuentes to pull the Los Angeles Dodgers within one run. Standing on deck was De Paula, the Dodgers’ No. 1 prospect, ready for his first postseason at-bat.
What followed was a rough introduction to October. De Paula saw three pitches, swung through a fastball, took a ball off the outside corner, then put a changeup at the bottom of the zone into foul territory for the final out of the game.
For a player being billed as the Dodgers’ bench weapon, it was a brutal assignment. De Paula entered for Tommy Edman and was at least the more obvious power option in that moment, but Roberts asked him to rescue the game for Los Angeles in the highest-leverage spot of his young career.
The pressure showed. De Paula looked geared up to swing, and the patient approach that drew attention during the regular season disappeared.
That doesn’t all land on De Paula. Roberts set the table for the failure, and the result took some of the shine off the idea of De Paula as the left-handed threat the Dodgers were hoping to unleash off the bench.
There are still reasons Los Angeles likes him in certain situations, and opponents probably have to give him some extra attention whenever he steps in. Atlanta’s pitching staff had the scouting reports, but De Paula is still less of a known quantity than the rest of the Dodgers’ lineup.
The flip side is that the Dodgers don’t have a perfect read on him either. Putting him on the postseason roster was an appealing move that plenty of fans backed, but he had only 31 at-bats during the regular season. Strong results in that small sample didn’t guarantee he’d handle the postseason spotlight the same way.
If the Dodgers’ offense wakes up and gets past Atlanta, De Paula should get more chances. And if Shohei Ohtani keeps underperforming, Roberts may be pushed to use his No. 1 prospect even earlier than he did.
Whatever happened on Sunday night, though, can’t happen again.
In Other News...
Braves May Have Exposed A Costly Dodgers NLDS Problem
Miguel Rojas exited Game 3 of the 2026 NLDS after fouling a pitch off himself in the eighth inning and feeling low back pain, a development the Dodgers confirmed on their official social media. The stopgap infielder had already appeared to be working through something earlier in the night, with his back first bothering him after he fielded a ground ball in the fifth inning.
For a Dodgers club trying to navigate October with as little disruption as possible, the timing is the real concern. If Rojas cannot continue in the series, Los Angeles may be forced to make a postseason roster change, a move that would test the teams infield depth at a point when every available defender matters even more. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Suddenly Face A Miguel Rojas Problem In The NLDS
Miguel Rojas night ended early in the Dodgers National League Division Series game against the Braves after he fouled off a pitch and started showing signs of discomfort with a low back injury. Tommy Edman came on as a pinch hitter in his place, leaving Los Angeles to sort through an immediate issue at a spot where Rojas has helped steady things throughout the postseason run.
The bigger concern now is what this means for the rest of the series, because the Dodgers do not yet know how available Rojas will be moving forward. Any lingering limitation could force roster and lineup adjustments at a critical point, and for a team trying to keep its infield options intact in October, even a short-term absence would matter. [Read more 🡒]
Dave Roberts Made One Dodgers Gamble Look Brilliant In Game 3
Dave Roberts spent Game 3 pushing the right buttons, and the Dodgers benefited from nearly every one of them. He shuffled the batting order and got Kike Hernandez into a spot where he could make an impact, then watched Hernandez deliver a key two-run homer that helped set the tone. It was the kind of lineup tweak that can look minor before first pitch and inspired once the game starts bending your way.
Roberts also managed the night with a steady hand on the mound, letting Yoshinobu Yamamoto work seven innings before turning to Tanner Scott and Edwin Diaz to close the door. The sequencing mattered as much as the names themselves, giving Los Angeles a cleaner path through the late innings and underscoring how much this team can gain when its manager is willing to be aggressive at the right moments. [Read more 🡒]