Dodgers to Promote Top Prospect Josue De Paula for MLB Debut
The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to promote Josue De Paula, Just Baseball's No. 10 prospect, to make his MLB debut on Friday.
After putting together an otherworldly showing at the Double-A level this year, Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Josue De Paula is heading to the major leagues. According to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez, the 21-year-old will join the club on Friday ahead of its series against the Miami Marlins.
De Paula, Just Baseball’s No. 10 overall prospect in our latest update, is going to skip Triple-A entirely and go straight to The Show. On the surface, that may seem a bit extreme, but a look at his numbers this year tell you all you need to know about the special talent we’re dealing with here.
Interestingly, this is the first time in the team’s 12 years under Andrew Friedman that they’ve made such an aggressive promotion for a position player, but this one is surely warranted (H/T Katie Woo of The Athletic).
While the hype surrounding De Paula is legitimate, his highly anticipated MLB debut represents a bit of a double-edged sword for the Dodgers. The young phenom-in-the-making is taking the spot on the team’s active roster that was previously held by Shohei Ohtani, who’s hitting the injured list.
The two-way superstar has been dealing with both arm and knee injuries and will hit the 15-day injured list as a result. With the Dodgers comfortably marching their way to the postseason, it makes sense for them to give Ohtani a breather and to heal up before the games that matter the most are here.
What Josue De Paula Brings to the Dodgers
Suiting up for the Tulsa Drillers down in Double-A, De Paula put together an incredible season. Across a career-high 124 games, he hit 27 home runs, drove in 104 runs, and stole 31 bases in 41 attempts.
Along the way, he hit .303 while sporting a .948 OPS. Of course, the quality of pitching between Double-A and the major leagues is quite different, but De Paula’s OPS would be tied with Pete Crow-Armstrong for second-best at the game’s highest level. Difference in pitching or not, that’s still an impressive note.
Defensively, De Paula is strictly a corner outfielder. Kyle Tucker, the team’s right fielder, has had year-long struggles that have been extensively covered. Teoscar Hernández, who occupies left field, is red-hot in the second half (130 wRC+ thus far) and not coming out of the lineup anytime soon.
The one silver lining with Ohtani’s injury is that there’s now a wide-open spot in the Dodgers’ lineup to fit all of the bats they need.
Both Tucker and Hernández have turned in ghastly numbers in the outfield this year, so it’s reasonable to expect that De Paula could at the very least outperform the two veterans on the grass.
Josue De Paula Scouting Report
For more on De Paula and the special kind of talent he possesses, here’s a look at Aram’s detailed scouting report on the Dodgers’ next great star:
Height/Weight: 6’3″, 175 | Bat/Throw: L/R | IFA: $1.5M, 2021 (LAD) | ETA: 2027
| HIT | Plate Disc. | GAME POWER | RUN | FIELD | FV |
| 55/60 | 50/55 | 50/60 | 45/45 | 40/45 | 60 |
De Paula quickly emerged as one of the top prospects in baseball thanks to his advanced nature in the box for his age. It’s a bat-first profile, but De Paula’s blend of hit, power and patience could make him a force with the bat alone.
Offense
De Paula has a simple set up and a slow, controlled load. He has no problem turning around velocity, where his operation is rhythmic with a smooth swing. De Paula previously had struggles maintaining his posture against secondaries, particularly right-handed secondaries. He adjusted his setup and load slightly, with his hands starting lower and the bat flatter pulling them back into his slot as he loads.
It seems like the adjustment gave De Paula a counter-move to help him coil over his back side and stay back. As a result, De Paula has upped his contact rate by nearly 10% in 2026 while improving his OPS against non-fastballs by roughly 250 points.
De Paula also added strength, increasing his average exit velocity by more than a tick and Hard Hit rate by 10%. The added power to pair with what now looks like plus contact skills have helped De Paula produce the highest wRC+ in the Texas League.
His approach has improved as well, still showcasing impressive pitch selection and recognition skills while being more aggressive within the zone after previously bordering on passive. There’s an elusive combination of plus hit and power with De Paula with the approach to further solidify what is one of the safest offensive profiles in the Minor Leagues.
Defense/Speed
A fringe-average runner, De Paula has improved his reads and routes in the outfield to be able to get by out there. His arm is average. He’s an instinctual base runner who provides value on the base paths with his ability to pick spots to go. De Paula swiped 32 bags on 40 tries in 2025 and has continued to be effective in Double-A, grabbing 29 on 38 tries.
Outlook
De Paula torched Double-A pitching in a season where he was 20 years old at the start. He has answered most every question that surrounded him, whether it be his ability to handle breaking balls or getting by in the outfield. With his mechanical improvements preceding standout contact rates and quality of contact, De Paula looks like one of the best combinations of floor and ceiling in the Minor Leagues.
The fact that he is passable in a corner with some sneaky value on the base paths helps, but at the end of the day, it is all about the bat for De Paula who could hit his way to several All Star appearances.
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Written by
Eric Treuden (troy-din) is one of Just Baseball's Managing Editors and Facebook manager. After previous stops at FanSided's news desk, Yardbarker, and Jays Journal, he has…