Josue De Paula didn’t exactly see this one coming.
The Dodgers rarely jump a top prospect straight from Double-A to the majors, and when they did it with Yasiel Puig in June 2013, the organization was operating under a different general manager. De Paula may not have had that history on his mind, but he still wasn’t expecting to hear his name called when Shohei Ohtani landed on the injured list.
In Miami, De Paula said Tulsa Drillers manager Eric Wedge broke the news in blunt fashion: "basically told me, ‘Hey, we’re going to get you on a flight tomorrow, ‘You’re going to be with the big boys.’ I was in disbelief. … I was like, ‘What, going up where?’
"It took me off guard, but when it happened, I was so happy.”
The 20-year-old had earned the shot with a strong run at Double-A Tulsa, where he was hitting .303/.401/.547 before the promotion. His first two games in the big leagues were quiet - 0-for-5 with three walks - but he broke through on Sunday, going 2-for-2 and launching his first career home run.
Even with that production, De Paula said he never felt locked into a big-league arrival this soon.
“I was never 100% sure," he told reporters Friday in Miami. "I always had it in the back of my mind it could happen.
I never tried to think too much about it. … I wasn’t really thinking about it because we really only had about four days left before the season ends.
So I was just thinking - four days, playoffs and then go home.”
Ohtani’s IL stint adds another layer to the Dodgers’ roster picture. He played just one game in the week before going on the injured list, and in a best-case scenario he now has to wait at least 15 days before returning - right on the edge of the postseason.
That’s what makes De Paula’s arrival so notable. The Dodgers would almost certainly not want to carry three left-handed hitters without a clear postseason role if De Paula, Ohtani and Dalton Rushing - who is dealing with a partially torn UCL in his right elbow - are all healthy.
De Paula at least gives the Dodgers a defensive option. He can play either right or left field if needed, even if the glove is not his calling card. With the injuries to Rushing and Ohtani, his postseason debut in 2026 is now something that can at least be imagined.
“Well, anything’s possible, but I think the first part of it [is] there is a little bit of a runway now with Shohei on the IL, and we can get him some major league at-bats and see how that looks,” Roberts said.
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