Dodgers Have Clear Plan for Josue De Paula Amid Questions About His 2027 Role

The Los Angeles Dodgers need to find a position for their top prospect, Josue De Paula. After showcasing his potential as a hitter during a late-season call-up, it would surprise no one if the 21-year-old forced his way into the Dodgers' lineup in 2027.

The obvious question: where should he play?

De Paula slotted in at designated hitter when a multitude of injuries caught up with Shohei Ohtani in September. When Ohtani returned, De Paula was relegated to the bench. His ability (or rather, his inability) to improve the Dodgers' outfield defense was a major reason why.

“I think that he’s a young player," manager Dave Roberts said in September. "I mean, he’s 21 years old. His bat has certainly got him here, but it’s our job to make him value defense and get him to be a better defender.”

As a minor leaguer, De Paula saw time at all three outfield spots. But if Ohtani is healthy along with outfielders Teoscar Hernandez, Andy Pages and Kyle Tucker, there would appear to be no room for him in the Dodgers' 2027 lineup.

The Dodgers likely won't keep a rookie on their big league bench when playing time in the minor leagues is available next year. They also would be justified in finding a place for De Paula on their 26-man roster if his spring training performance mimics the .323/.500/.681 slash line he put up in 11 big league games to end the regular season.

The Dodgers worked with De Paula on his outfield defense during the regular season. That might not be possible during the offseason.

A lockout is expected to be imposed on Dec. 1, when the Collective Bargaining Agreement between MLB and the MLB Players' Association expires. Team personnel — managers, coaches, executives and others — were not able to contact 40-man roster players during the 2021-22 work stoppage. The same is likely to be true again.

That said, the plan for De Paula this offseason is clear.

"We've talked through it," Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said of De Paula on Wednesday at the end-of-season press conference. "His mindset, and our coaching staff and all of us is, to make him as good a defensive outfielder as possible."

President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman praised the impact of the Dodgers' clubhouse for embracing De Paula in September and October — as well as De Paula's development from 2025 to 2026.

As the Dodgers look to incorporate more prospects in the years to come, none might hold a more important place in the organization than De Paula.

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