Los Angeles Dodgers top prospect Josue De Paula went viral Friday after doing a double take following a high five with Shohei Ohtani.
De Paula, who came up to replace Ohtani upon the MVP’s move to the injured list, had a huge game from the No. 9 spot on Friday, going 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. His second run of the game came off of a Mookie Betts homer, and he followed the All-Star through the dugout giving high fives to his teammates.
Upon reaching Ohtani in the line, De Paula casually gave him a high five before doing a double take with a surprised look on his face.
“I actually seen him earlier that day but I wasn’t expecting him to be at the game,” De Paula said to Dodgers Nation’s Noel Sanchez. “He caught me by surprise, I was giving everybody a handshake, I gave him a handshake, but then I double take like he’s here.
“I can’t wait until he’s back. To see what he does in the box, you don’t see that every day so I can’t wait.”
De Paula is just 21 years old, and is already making quite the impact with the Dodgers. Through nine games with the team so far, De Paula has a .929 OPS with one homer and seven RBIs. His underlying numbers look great across the board, as he strikes out at an extremely low clip while maintaining fantastic quality of contact in his small MLB sample size.
When Will Shohei Ohtani Be Back?
Ohtani hasn’t played since Sept. 7, as he is nursing a biceps issue. He is slowly returning to baseball activities, and began running the bases prior to Saturday’s game against the San Francisco Giants.
Following Saturday’s game, manager Dave Roberts revealed he could return against the San Diego Padres in the final series of the regular season. His return would be huge for the Dodgers just before the postseason, and while he may not be able to pitch in October, he will play a huge role at the top of the Dodgers’ lineup as they aim to win their third World Series in a row.
