LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles have selected the contract of outfielder Josue De Paula and placed designated hitter/pitcher Shohei Ohtani on the injured list with right biceps inflammation, backdated to 9/8. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers moved left-handed pitcher Eric Lauer to the 60-day injured list.
De Paula, 21, joins the Dodgers for the first time in his career, becoming the first Dodger position player to jump from Double-A to the Majors since at least 2014, when Erisbel Arruebarrena made the jump to the big squad. With Double-A Tulsa, he was slashing .303/.401/.547 with 27 homers and 104 RBI in 124 games. He represented the Dodgers in the 2026 Sirius XM Futures Game, a year removed from being named the MVP in the 2025 Futures Game in Atlanta after clubbing a three-run homer to propel the NL squad to a 4-2 win at Truist Park. He has played 460 minor league games across four levels, slashing .286/.404/.453 with 56 homers and 280 RBI. He appeared in 14 Spring Training games this year, batting .375 with one double and three RBI before being reassigned to the minors. He signed with the Dodgers as an international free agent on January 15, 2022.
Ohtani, 32, has appeared in 134 games, slashing .277/.380/.522 with 30 homers and 80 RBI. He made 14 starts this season, posting an 8-2 record with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts. The back-to-back reigning National League MVP has been with the Dodgers three seasons, recording 19.1 bWAR with 139 homers, 312 RBI and a .990 OPS in 447 games at the plate and a 9-3 record with a 2.17 ERA on the mound. He has been in the Majors nine seasons, slashing .281/.375/.575 with 310 homers and 749 RBI while going 47-22 with a 2.83 ERA and 765 strikeouts in 114 games on the mound. He signed a 10-year contract with the Dodgers on December 11, 2023.
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