The Dodgers have brought Shohei Ohtani back from the injured list and sent Josue De Paula down to Triple-A, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. Ohtani is back in the lineup after missing time with knee and arm issues, while De Paula heads to Oklahoma City with a chance to return for the playoffs.
Ohtani has been reduced to hitting only this season. A left knee problem and a right biceps issue kept him from pitching since early July. At the plate, his numbers dropped sharply from August 19 to September 7, when he hit .122/.295/.184 with a 34.4% strikeout rate.
The move puts the Dodgers in a familiar spot. They need Ohtani to swing the bat, and they need a backup plan behind him. De Paula fits that role, but he has not proven himself in the outfield.
Ohtani’s Return From the Injured List
Ohtani went on the 15-day injured list for pitchers, not the standard 10-day list for position players. That is because he is designated as a two-way player. The Dodgers gave him a few games to get back into rhythm, though another break is likely coming soon.
The Dodgers are five games ahead of Atlanta in the division standings with five games left to play. Atlanta holds the tiebreaker, so the first-round bye is not official yet. But the Dodgers will almost certainly avoid the Wild Card round entirely.
That timing matters for Ohtani’s health. A full season of swings could help him stay ready for October.
De Paula’s Big League Start
De Paula skipped Triple-A altogether and came straight up from Double-A. The Dodgers used him as the designated hitter, and he has done well in his first 42 plate appearances. He hit one home run, walked at a 26.2% rate, struck out at 11.9%, and posted a .323/.500/.581 line with 198 wRC+.
Those numbers are small, but they are encouraging. The Dodgers have said De Paula is still a candidate for a postseason roster spot.
For now, he does not have a path to regular playing time. Manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers will use more experienced outfielders like Teoscar Hernández and Kyle Tucker in the corners. The DH spot is spoken for, assuming Ohtani stays healthy.
De Paula will play in the Triple-A playoffs, per Oklahoma City Comets broadcaster Alex Freedman. He cannot be recalled for at least ten days unless someone else goes on the injured list.
The Bench Race With Dalton Rushing
Dalton Rushing is also in the mix for a postseason spot. He has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow and cannot throw right now. He is on the injured list but could be reinstated this week.
Rushing is a hitter only, and he has put up a .249/.332/.466 line in a larger sample of 250 plate appearances this year. That is not as strong as De Paula’s slash, but Rushing has faced more pitchers.
Roberts spoke plainly about the situation:
“To be quite frank, it’s going to be tougher for Dalton, given the time that he’s missed, and to kind of think that you have three games to get back in playoff form,” he said. “It’s not a knock on him. He’s been great for us. But it’s still tough, given that also you’re talking about the consistency of at-bats recently from Josue.”
The Playoffs Are Coming
The Dodgers have a clear order for the DH spot. Ohtani is the starter, and the team would like to carry one bench hitter as a platoon partner. They cannot afford both De Paula and Rushing, according to Woo.
De Paula can return for the NLDS, which starts October 3. He is in the mix for a bench spot, though it will come down to him and Rushing.
Rushing could be reinstated before the season ends, but it will be hard for him to get at-bats with Ohtani needing reps in the DH spot. The Dodgers have five games left in the regular season before the playoffs begin.
The search volume shows exactly what is at stake. The term “dodgers” is among the top rising searches in the United States today, according to Google Trends.
Source material: “Dodgers Reinstate Shohei Ohtani, Option Josue De Paula,” mlbtraderumors.com.
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