The Los Angeles Dodgers are calling up top prospect Josue De Paula, sources told ESPN on Wednesday night. The plan is for De Paula to join the Dodgers on Friday for the start of a seven-game road trip through Miami and Cincinnati, according to sources. De Paula was rated the 10th-best prospect in ESPN insider Kiley McDaniel's updated top 100 MLB prospect rankings.
De Paula's promotion comes as the Dodgers weigh whether to place Shohei Ohtani on the injured list. Ohtani has missed six of the past seven games with soreness in his right arm while also dealing with discomfort in his left knee. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters before Wednesday's game that placing Ohtani on the IL is a possibility.
De Paula, 21, has been slashing .302/.400/.539 with 26 home runs and 31 stolen bases in 123 games in Double-A this season. The Dodgers, winners of six straight games heading into Wednesday, are also without center fielder Andy Pages, who is recovering from a fracture in his left hand.
De Paula was signed out of the Dominican Republic for slightly less than $400,000 in 2022. He breezed past the Dominican Summer League and both Class A levels in his first four years in the organization, ultimately becoming the Dodgers' consensus top prospect.
