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SportsActive today · day 6

De Paula's quick rise raises Dodgers postseason roster questions

The 21-year-old prospect's early success in the majors puts him in contention for October despite limited MLB experience.

newest coverage 2h agosummary written 2d ago20 pieces Google NewsNewswiresMastodon

What to know

  • De Paula, a 21-year-old called up from Double-A, has impressed in limited MLB action with a home run and strong exit velocity (92.6 mph), putting him in postseason roster conversation.
  • Manager Dave Roberts said De Paula should be under consideration for October despite having less than a month of MLB experience, framing it as a trial run.
  • The Dodgers cannot afford to remove De Paula from the lineup given their offensive needs, even as questions persist about whether a rookie with so little big-league time belongs in the playoffs.
  • Analyst Kerry Miller named infielder Alex Freeland the Dodgers' top rookie of 2026, though he acknowledged De Paula could change that assessment during the final week of the season.

“However, [Alex] Freeland spent much of the season as the Dodgers' primary second baseman, providing decent value with his glove while hitting just well enough to earn regular playing time.”

Kerry Miller, Bleacher Report analyst · Sporting News ↗ · Sep 17

Josue De Paula Dodgers rookie prospectShohei OhtaniShohei Ohtani Dodgers superstarDave Roberts Dodgers managerKerry Miller Bleacher Report analystAlex FreelandAlex Freeland Dodgers infielder

De Paula's quick rise raises Dodgers postseason roster questions
Yahoo Sports

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articles

Peak 3 pieces in two hours at Sep 18, 3 PM; 20 pieces over 6 days (18 articles · 2 posts) Sep 17, 3 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Sep 17, 5 PM — quietSep 17, 7 PM — quietSep 17, 9 PM — quietSep 17, 11 PM — quietSep 18, 1 AM — quietSep 18, 3 AM — quietSep 18, 5 AM — quietSep 18, 7 AM — quietSep 18, 9 AM — quietSep 18, 11 AM — quietSep 18, 1 PM — quietSep 18, 3 PM — 3 pieces · 3 articles — Newswires 3Sep 18, 5 PM — quietSep 18, 7 PM — quietSep 18, 9 PM — quietSep 18, 11 PM — quietSep 19, 1 AM — quietSep 19, 3 AM — quietSep 19, 5 AM — quietSep 19, 7 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 19, 9 AM — quietSep 19, 11 AM — quietSep 19, 1 PM — quietSep 19, 3 PM — quietSep 19, 5 PM — quietSep 19, 7 PM — quietSep 19, 9 PM — quietSep 19, 11 PM — quietSep 20, 1 AM — quietSep 20, 3 AM — quietSep 20, 5 AM — quietSep 20, 7 AM — quietSep 20, 9 AM — quietSep 20, 11 AM — quietSep 20, 1 PM — quietSep 20, 3 PM — quietSep 20, 5 PM — quietSep 20, 7 PM — quietSep 20, 9 PM — quietSep 20, 11 PM — quietSep 21, 1 AM — quietSep 21, 3 AM — quietSep 21, 5 AM — quietSep 21, 7 AM — quietSep 21, 9 AM — quietSep 21, 11 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 21, 1 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 21, 3 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Sep 21, 7 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — 3 pieces · 1 article · 2 posts — Mastodon 2, Newswires 1Sep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Sep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Yesterday, 7 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 2Yesterday, 9 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Yesterday, 11 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Today, 1 AM — quiet 123
Sep 18Sep 19Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 2:08 AM ET
  1. 3

    De Paula wins major award in Double-A despite MLB promotion

    Despite his recent promotion to the majors, De Paula earned recognition with a major award related to his Double-A performance, underscoring his status as a top prospect.

    1. 1 outlet first by Newsweek, 2d ago · read ↗

  2. 2

    Reports highlight Dodgers' dependency on De Paula's bat for lineup strength

    Multiple outlets noted the Dodgers cannot afford to bench De Paula given their offensive needs, with one source calling it a lineup problem the team cannot afford to solve by removing the rookie.

    1. 1 outlet Dodgers have lineup problem they cannot afford to solve by benching Josue De Paula

      first by Yahoo Sports, 2d ago

  3. 2 days quiet
  4. 1

    Dave Roberts says De Paula should be under consideration for postseason roster

    Dodgers manager Dave Roberts addressed whether De Paula merits a spot on the October roster, indicating he should be considered despite having less than a month of MLB experience. Roberts framed it as a trial run with no guarantees.

    “Yeah, he should be [under consideration]. This is more of a trial run, no promises. Just obviously having Shohei down and giving a guy that's performed well an opportunity.”
    — Dave Roberts
    1. 3 outlets Why Dodgers' top rookie of 2026 is not Josue De Paula

      first by Sporting News, 5d ago · also Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports

      2 more headlines
  5. background

    Bleacher Report analyst names Freeland top Dodgers rookie over De Paula — Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report awarded the 2026 Dodgers Rookie of the Year distinction to second baseman Alex Freeland rather than De Paula, citing Freeland's season-long contributions despite De Paula's recent prominence. De Paula had a .789 OPS through 25 plate appearances.

  6. background

    De Paula hits home run in fourth major-league game — After going hitless in his first two MLB games, De Paula recorded his first hit as a towering fourth-inning home run, demonstrating the power potential that prompted his call-up.

  7. background

    Dodgers promote De Paula from Double-A after Ohtani placed on IL — The Los Angeles Dodgers called up 21-year-old Josue De Paula from Double-A to replace injured superstar Shohei Ohtani at designated hitter. De Paula had posted a .303/.401/.547 slash line in Double-A with 27 home runs and 104 RBIs, and skipped Triple-A in his promotion.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 2 outlets Dodgers activate Shohei Ohtani, demote red-hot rookie Josue De Paula to Triple-A

    first by Yahoo Sports, 7h ago · also Newsweek

    1 more headline

and 9 smaller pieces