Dodgers' Josue De Paula leap of faith is a telling first for Andrew Friedman

On Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers led with the good news: they planned to call up No. 1 prospect Josue De Paula for his Major League debut this coming weekend. The bad (but expected) news followed not long after: Shohei Ohtani would head to the 15-day IL after sitting for five of LA's last six games.

Dave Roberts said De Paula would get the "lion's share" of starts at DH in Ohtani's absence but left open the possibility of him occasionally taking over in the outfield corners in either Teoscar Hernández or Kyle Tucker's stead.

De Paula has spent 128 games at Double-A between 2025 and 2026 but will skip Triple-A entirely on his way to the majors. It's the first time a top prospect is being allowed to forgo a stop in Oklahoma City in Andrew Friedman's 12-year tenure as the Dodgers' president of baseball operations.

The Dodgers have already made it clear that they envision big things in De Paula's future. Katie Woo of The Athletic reported near the trade deadline that he was as untouchable as a Dodgers prospect can be, and they sent new special advisor Jason Heyward to Tulsa to mentor him. If Friedman is willing to break one of his biggest rules for him, the Dodgers must be certain he's something special.

How does Josue De Paula fit into the Dodgers' future roster?

The Dodgers' roster, at least on the position player side, is dominated by purchased talent, but when the Dodgers love a prospect, they're incredibly bullish about that prospect. Woo noted that Friedman is never eager to promote one unless there's a clear runway for him in the major leagues.

The 15 days Ohtani is confined to the IL wouldn't be considered much runway on any other team, but Dodgers top prospects have to take advantage of any opportunity they can get.

If De Paula performs to expectations, fans will be asking the same question we asked about Dalton Rushing: where are the Dodgers going to put him? Rushing has settled into his role as Will Smith's backup and occasional DH, but are the Dodgers really going to do that again with De Paula?

Friedman may have to revisit Hernández trade talks this winter if De Paula forces the issue (because no one in their right mind would take on Tucker's contract). All signs point to De Paula becoming an instrumental part of the Dodgers' offense from here on out, as long as there's a place for him on the roster.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow