The Los Angeles Dodgers have decided to carry 21-year-old Josue De Paula on their National League Division Series roster.
De Paula was called up from Double-A last month and immediately impressed with his bat and stellar eye at the plate. He even drew comparisons to Juan Soto for doing his own version of the "Soto Shuffle" in the box while tracking pitches.
Soto saw the clip of De Paula imitating him in the box and had nothing but great things to say about him.
"He’s really passionate and there is a lot of emotion,” Soto said, per The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya. “He’s just feeling it right now.”
“He’s special,” Soto added. “He has really good abilities. He’s always been a grinder. He has always understood the strike zone with a great swing. It’s really cool to see what he’s capable of.”
De Paula did not take long to make an impact after being called up from Double-A. In 11 games with the Dodgers, he posted a .323/.500/.581 slash line with 11 walks. He also hit one home run and stole a base. He was the first position player in the Andrew Friedman era to be called up to the big leagues directly from Double-A.
De Paula will have a much different role in the postseason. Shohei Ohtani is back in the designated hitter spot, so De Paula will be a left-handed bat off the bench. His defense in left field is not good, so the team may be hesitant to leave him in the game after a pinch-hit appearance.