{"id":804399,"date":"2026-09-14T01:30:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T01:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/804399\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T01:30:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T01:30:29","slug":"josue-de-paula-can-hit-but-can-rookie-factor-into-dodgers-october-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/804399\/","title":{"rendered":"Josue De Paula can hit, but can rookie factor into Dodgers’ October plans?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dodgers received a reality check<\/a> over the weekend, as Shohei Ohtani\u2019s absence became noticeable, their high-leverage relievers imploded and Tyler Glasnow looked nothing like the dependable postseason starter<\/a> they expect him to be.<\/p>\n

But their visit to Miami wasn\u2019t a complete loss.<\/p>\n

Their three games against the Marlins confirmed a belief that has grown over the course of the year: They have a real offensive weapon in Josue De Paula, the rookie who blasted an upper-deck home run<\/a> Sunday in an otherwise disheartening 6-4 loss.<\/p>\n

De Paula can hit.<\/p>\n

Like, really hit.<\/p>\n

That much is already obvious, so much so that the very nature of the 21-year-old\u2019s September call-up has changed.<\/p>\n

\t\t\tMore From\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDylan Hernandez<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Dodgers\u2019 Josue de Paula follows through on a three-run home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Miami. AP Photo\/Lynne Sladky<\/p>\n

What was initially expected to be a cup of coffee is now an audition.<\/p>\n

An audition for a spot on the playoff roster. An audition for a starting role in the outfield next season.<\/p>\n

The left-handed-hitting De Paula offers the Dodgers the kind of offensive jolt they never got last year, when their season had to be saved by the unlikeliest of home-run heroes in Miguel Rojas.<\/p>\n

With Ohtani and Freddie Freeman likely to be playing in October with serious physical limitations<\/a>, De Paula could be more of a necessity than a luxury for the Dodgers.<\/p>\n

At very least, he\u2019s a pinch hitter with a bat that\u2019s like Thor\u2019s hammer.<\/p>\n

While his shortcomings as a defender and baserunner rule him out from starting in the Dodgers\u2019 postseason opener, he could be a last-ditch option to replace Kyle Tucker or Teoscar Hern\u00e1ndez in the lineup at some point if either of them stops hitting. Or he could be the emergency designated hitter in a worst-case scenario in which Ohtani isn\u2019t healthy enough to play.<\/p>\n

On the day he was officially promoted from Double-A Tulsa, De Paula said of making the playoff roster, \u201cThat\u2019s always in the back of your head. But I don\u2019t want to get too ahead of myself right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Brooklyn-born De Paula certainly doesn\u2019t lack confidence, his demeanor reminiscent of his basketball-playing relatives Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the first week of spring training, I asked De Paula if he thought he could reach the majors this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s highly likely,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

At the time, De Paula had played only four games above Class A.<\/p>\n

Josue de Paula #95 of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after hitting a three-run home run against the Miami Marlins in the fourth inning of a game on Sunday, September 13, 2026, at loanDepot park in Miami, Florida. Getty Images<\/p>\n

There was nothing fake about the bravado.<\/p>\n

Called up to the major leagues<\/a> for the first time on Friday, he looked right away as if he knew he belonged.<\/p>\n

He was hitless in his first two games in Miami, but he stayed within himself. He remained patient. He controlled the strike zone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The result: Four walks in his first 11 plate appearances.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just gotta keep doing me,\u201d De Paula said. \u201cMy first two days, I loved my at-bats even though I didn\u2019t get the results. I felt like the results were coming really soon, so I just feel like I need to stick with my approach and good things are coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was right.<\/p>\n

In his first time up in the series finale Sunday, De Paula picked up another walk.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A couple of innings later, De Paula stayed alive by fouling off a 2-2 pitch just off the outside edge of the plate. The next pitch was a 98-mph fastball on the inside part of the plate, and De Paula turned on it, sending it soaring into the second deck above the right-field wall for a three-run homer.<\/p>\n

De Paula turned to the Dodgers\u2019 bench and pounded his chest. When he returned to the dugout, he howled as he high-fived a gauntlet of teammates.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just enjoying the moment, man,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Josue de Paula #95 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates with teammates after hitting a three-run home run against the Miami Marlins in the fourth inning of a game on Sunday, September 13, 2026, at loanDepot park in Miami, Florida. Getty Images<\/p>\n

De Paula doubled to right-center field in his next at-bat, after which Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez replaced him in left field for defensive purposes.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot surprised,\u201d manager Dave Roberts said. \u201cI\u2019m really not. I don\u2019t think anyone in our organization is surprised as far as how he was going to conduct an at-bat.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Dodgers know what that means in the long term. They will have to create a place for him in their outfield next season, most likely at the expense of Teoscar Hern\u00e1ndez, who turns 34 next month and has one year remaining on his contract.<\/p>\n

Less certain is how he factors into their short-term plans. The final two weeks of the regular season will help them determine that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dodgers received a reality check over the weekend, as Shohei Ohtani\u2019s absence became noticeable, their high-leverage relievers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":804400,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2406],"tags":[5,2178,1560,39,815,29,1165,4332,4333,774,57,3224,4331,58,4,468,185,1528],"class_list":["post-804399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-baseball","tag-california","tag-dave-roberts","tag-dodgers","tag-freddie-freeman","tag-kyle-tucker","tag-la","tag-la-dodgers","tag-ladodgers","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-losangeles","tag-losangelesdodgers","tag-miami-marlins","tag-mlb","tag-shohei-ohtani","tag-sports","tag-teoscar-hernandez"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/117266810345480532","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=804399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804399\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/804400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=804399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=804399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=804399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}