With Shohei Ohtani's lingering knee, biceps, and neck injuries continuing to force him out of the lineup in addition to keeping him off the mound, the Dodgers finally had to accept reality and place him on the IL after Wednesday's game. They kept trying to keep him active while nursing the injuries, but his discomfort at the plate became tough to watch over the past week, and the team announced they are putting him on the IL. The good news is that the Dodgers have no shortage of potential impact bats biding their time in the minors, and they're calling one of them up all the way from Double-A.
The Dodgers are promoting outfielder Josue De Paula, arguably the team's top prospect and one of the very best prospects in the minors, and he'll join the team Friday. As a 21-year-old at Double-A, he has hit .302/.400/.539 with nearly as many walks as strikeouts and 31 steals to go with 26 homers in 123 games. De Paula has the look of a future star, and the Dodgers have a natural opportunity here to get his feet wet.
It's probably a more accelerated timeline than they were hoping for, but between Ohtani's injuries and Andy Pages' hand injury – plus, Freddie Freeman was out of the lineup Wednesday with a knee injury – the need cropped up. It's a big leap for De Paula, but he absolutely has the talent to hit the ground running and should be added in at least all five-outfielder leagues. The one thing to know here: De Paula hasn't played center field since 2023, so if Ohtani's IL stint ends up being a minimum-length stay, De Paula might find himself without a spot in the lineup after 15.
Still, with just over two weeks left, you might as well shoot for the upside and hope De Paula lives up to expectations. He certainly has the talent to make an impact, and now he has the opportunity. Here's what you might have missed from CBSSports.com's MLB coverage in recent days: Prospects report.
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