Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general Manager Brandon Gomes outlined what they want to see from outfielder Josue De Paula if he’s to become an everyday player in MLB.
How Did Josue De Paula Perform in MLB?
De Paula had a brief stint with the team in 2026, playing 11 games with the team while Shohei Ohtani sat on the injured list in September. He had a fantastic showing through those 11 contests, posting an on-base percentage of .500 and an OPS over 1.000 with a home run and seven RBIs. He also appeared in three postseason games for the Dodgers in a limited role, making both the NLDS and NLCS rosters.
Despite his impressive showings offensively, though, the Dodgers also have high hopes for De Paula’s defense—one of the very few hangups in his game.
“I think with [De Paula], we’ve talked through it and he’s fully aware of continuing to improve defensively,” Gomes said. “We’ve all seen what he’s capable of in the box which is incredibly exciting. With that being said, we have a very talented core group already here, so I think it’s finding those opportunities but also making sure that throughout this offseason and coming into spring training that he continues to improve and get to that bar and gets to be an above average defender.
“We’re not looking just to be like, ‘Oh, De Paula got pretty good.’ I think his mindset, and our coaching staff and all of ours is to make him as good of a defensive outfielder as we can to be a full player because that’s what we expect of all of our guys that step on the field.”
Is Josue De Paula Improving?
Despite their plans for De Paula’s improvement, Friedman made sure to highlight the steps forward De Paula took following last season, and emphasized the importance of his brief MLB stint.
“I think the improvement he showed from ’25 to ’26, I think that gets lost in it,” Friedman said. “He showed market improvement from ’25 to ’26. For us, it was about the added benefit of him coming up in September, being on our playoff roster, being around.
“…I think him coming up, the way our guys welcomed him in the clubhouse, him being around our players and seeing how they prepare and what they do before a game really landed with him in a way that words from us or our minor league staff couldn’t have accomplished in the same way. The growth from ’25 to ’26 was real, and now we’re looking for real growth from ’26 to ’27, then the sky’s the limit.”
The Dodgers’ No. 1 prospect is sure to get some time during the 2027 MLB season, and could blossom into a star if he continues improving as the Dodgers hope.
