Dodgers' Dave Roberts Reveals Message He Gave Josue De Paula After Being Optioned

The Los Angeles Dodgers are finally getting healthy just in time for the postseason as they activated superstar Shohei Ohtani off the injured list this week.

As a corresponding move, the team decided to option top prospect Josue De Paula.

De Paula made a name for himself in 11 contests for Los Angeles, and many fans hoped the Dodgers would go another route when they activated Ohtani.

However, the Dodgers optioning De Paula was always going to be the move, as they wanted him to continue getting opportunities to play at Triple-A before potentially being an option in the postseason.

Manager Dave Roberts loved what he saw from the 21-year-old, and revealed the message he gave De Paula when informing him about his demotion to Triple-A.

“This was the original thought, that once Shohei gets back, we’re going to send him out,” Roberts said. “We had a runway to give him, which we gave him and he performed more than admirably. This also, as far as the timing, just gives us an opportunity to potentially have him back for the postseason. He’s a part of the conversation, and he’searned that, and that’s what I told him last night.”

He added: "It was actually an easier conversation than you guys probably would expect, given how well he’s performed."

Josue De Paula Has Made a Strong Case for the Postseason

De Paula was fantastic in his first 11 games in the majors. He recorded a .323 batting average with a 1.081 OPS, one home run, seven RBIs and 10 hits in 31 at-bats.

De Paula only struck out five times and drew 11 walks.

Josue De Paula in 11 MLB games without taking an at-bat in Triple-A:

.323 AVG
.500 OBP
5 XBH
7 RBI
11 BB/5 K

He did everything the Dodgers could have asked for and more in replacing Shohei Ohtani.

Now, he'll hope it was enough to earn a spot on the postseason roster. pic.twitter.com/wnrJtvq0gB
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) September 23, 2026

De Paula's maturity at the plate was evident before his major league debut, and he showed exactly why once he stepped into the batter's box.

His advanced plate discipline and impressive strike-zone judgment are exactly why he is a candidate to make the postseason roster.

“He's done everything he can to put himself in a position to be in the conversation for us as we're making our postseason roster,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said.

One area De Paula does need to improve on is his defense. That won't come to fruition until the offseason, though.

"I just think that — just being candid — I don’t think that he’s valued it as much as he will," Roberts said recently. "And it just has to be important. Certainly, when you get to the big leagues, outs are important, converting outs are important."

The Dodgers have 12 players who appear to be locks to make the postseason roster. De Paula has certainly made his case to be the 13th position player in October, but he'll be competing with Dalton Rushing, who's set to be activated on Friday.

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