Dodgers call up prospect De Paula to debut Friday in Miami; skips Triple-A

Josue De Paula, the Dodgers' top prospect and the No. 6-ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 list, is set to make his major-league debut as early as Friday, September 12, in Miami. The 21-year-old outfielder is being called up from Double-A Tulsa, skipping Triple-A entirely. According to MLB.com, no Dodgers position player has skipped Triple-A since Andrew Friedman took over as president of baseball operations in October 2014, making De Paula's promotion exceptionally rare. The Dodgers signed De Paula for $397,500 out of the Dominican Republic in 2022. De Paula ranks as the top-ranked outfield prospect in baseball. MLB.com describes him as a slightly smaller but more athletic version of Yordan Alvarez, the slugger the Dodgers traded to Houston a month after signing him in 2016 in exchange for Josh Fields, who allowed two critical runs in Game 2 of the 2017 World Series against Houston. In 124 games in Double-A in 2026, De Paula slashed .303/.401/.547 with 27 homers and 31 steals. , while ranking third in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and home runs. De Paula is 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, and is the second cousin of former NBA guards Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair. His hitting profile stands out: he produces 90th percentile exit velocities averaging 104 mph and tops out at 111 mph. He swung and missed just 15 percent of the time in Double-A, including only 10 percent of swings against strikes. He was named MVP of the 2025 Futures Game after homering off Noah Schultz of the White Sox. However, De Paula's chase rate jumped to 22 percent from 14 percent a year ago, according to MLB.com, suggesting potential strikeout risk at the major-league level. His most significant weakness is his defense. MLB.com reports that a lack of instincts leads to subpar reads, routes and range in left field. He features average arm strength. Despite below-average speed by scouting metrics, De Paula has swiped 90 bags in the last three seasons, succeeding on 81 percent of his attempts. He is a .286/.404/.453 hitter as a professional overall. MLB.com projects De Paula has the tools to eventually contend for major-league batting titles while providing 30 or more homers per season. De Paula had an 0-for-18 stint in Double-A in the final week of 2025, indicating potential struggles against advanced competition. According to CBS Sports, De Paula will benefit from the playing-time void of Shohei Ohtani's absence and should get his feet wet on a team firing on all cylinders. The Dodgers are looking to be the first threepeat champion in Major League Baseball since the 1998-2000 Yankees.