Dodgers calling up top prospect Josue De Paula with Ohtani out

LOS ANGELES -- After nearly a week of kicking the can on the ailing Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers opted to place their superstar on the injured list to recover from his lingering left knee and right biceps injuries. To replace him, they're getting an infusion of youth as they gear up for what they hope will be another deep postseason run.

The Dodgers will call up outfielder Josue De Paula, MLB Pipeline's No. 6 overall prospect, to make his big league debut on Friday in Miami, manager Dave Roberts said after Wednesday night's 14-1 win over the Reds at Dodger Stadium. De Paula will get some runway at designated hitter while Ohtani is on the 15-day IL, as well as some reps in the corner-outfield spots.

De Paula is not on the Dodgers' 40-man roster, so the team will need to clear a spot before his contract is selected from Double-A Tulsa on Friday. It's uncommon for L.A. to fast-track a promotion like this, but the organization believes that De Paula's bat will play at the big league level.

“I think that our player development group is very confident in his ability to conduct an at-bat," Roberts said. "You could argue that the talent in Double-A is similar to Triple-A, as far as pure arms and arm talent. I think that we’ve seen him in camp for two or three years. He doesn’t run from velocity. He controls the strike zone. And I think this is just a good opportunity for him to kind of cut his teeth in the big leagues.”

The 21-year-old De Paula was born in Brooklyn but moved to the Dominican Republic while in high school. The Dodgers signed him as part of their 2022 international signing class, and MLB Pipeline considers him to be the organization's most advanced young hitter since Corey Seager.

In his first full season at Double-A, De Paula slashed .303/.401/.547 with 27 home runs, 104 RBIs and 106 runs scored. While his speed is below-average, he has swiped 31 bags this season.

One of the biggest question marks for De Paula has been his defense. He has split time between left field and right field with Tulsa this season, committing eight errors.

Since he's primarily set to DH with the Dodgers, De Paula's defense may not come into play as much in his first taste of big league action. But during Spring Training, he acknowledged that he needs to grow into a better defensive player.

"Just by my bat alone, I could handle myself," De Paula said in March. "But the end goal is not just to be a great hitter. I already know I am. The goal is to be a complete player in every aspect of the game, not having any holes. So the game itself, like the bat, is one big part of my game, and it's going to take me very far. But to be where I really want to be, to be a complete player and one of the best, the defense is going to have to be there."

If De Paula performs down the stretch, then he could potentially carve out a role on the Dodgers' postseason roster. But the team is taking things one day at a time with its top prospect.

"Anything’s possible," Roberts said. "But I think the first part of it, the thought was 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.”