De Paula gets 1st taste with 'the big boys' in MLB debut

MIAMI -- Josue De Paula didn’t think skipping Triple-A was even possible.

So when Double-A Tulsa manager Eric Wedge called MLB Pipeline’s No. 6 overall prospect into his office on Wednesday and told him he was headed to the Major Leagues, the 21-year-old needed clarification.

“[Wedge] basically told me, ‘Hey, we’re going to get you on a flight tomorrow,'” De Paula said with a smile. “‘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.”

De Paula made his debut in the Dodgers’ 6-2 win against the Marlins on Friday at loanDepot park. In his first at-bat, he flew out to right field, then he later drew a walk. He was caught stealing second base as part of a strike-'em out, throw-‘em out, double play to end the fourth inning. De Paula struck out in his third trip to the plate in the seventh and grounded out in the eighth.

“That was exciting,” manager Dave Roberts said postgame. “I thought he was going to conduct good at-bats. I felt he wasn't going to be overwhelmed by the moment, and that's exactly what we saw. We saw a good walk, some hard contact, and hung in there against the lefty, hit a ball hard down the line. First base makes a good play, but he'll be in there tomorrow and the next day, and he'll get his first [hit] one soon enough.”

De Paula became the first Dodgers position player since 2014 to jump directly from Double-A to the Majors when Los Angeles selected his contract on Friday, filling a roster spot after Shohei Ohtani landed on the injured list. Roberts said De Paula is expected to be used primarily as a designated hitter.

The left-handed-hitting outfielder earned the promotion after slashing .303/.401/.547 with a .948 OPS, 27 home runs and 104 RBIs in 124 games with Tulsa.

“His demeanor is very calm,” Roberts said pregame. “He’s got that Will Smith heartbeat. He’s got a lot of family and friends who’ll be here tonight. He was very emotional, very excited about this opportunity, but I definitely don’t think the game will speed up on him.”

Before taking batting practice ahead of his Major League debut, De Paula shared a moment with his father, Josue De Paula Sr., who made the trip to Miami from New York to witness it.

The two embraced near the field as De Paula shed a few tears while his father hugged him and whispered in his ear.

“It’s a moment that you can’t even describe,” De Paula Sr. said in Spanish. “It’s an internal joy that you ask yourself, ‘Wow, is this even real?’ You have to live it to understand it, and you can’t put it into words. All you can do is express it.”

De Paula got a taste of the Major League environment during Spring Training, when he went 9-for-24 (.375) with four runs scored in limited action.

More importantly, he said, the experience helped him understand what to expect.

“I know what they’re about,” De Paula said. “The expectations and everything, how they work, so I feel like I have a good head start.”