Dodgers activate Shohei Ohtani, demote red-hot rookie Josue De Paula to Triple-A

As expected , the Los Angeles Dodgers activated Shohei Ohtani from the injured list on Wednesday. In a corresponding move, they demoted a player who turned out to be a more capable replacement than anyone could've imagined for two weeks.

That would be rookie slugger Josue De Paula, who was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, a team whose season could end as soon as Wednesday. De Paula, the top prospect in the Dodgers' system and one of the best overall prospects in baseball, was promoted to replace Ohtani on the roster .

Ohtani will hit second in his first game back against the San Diego Padres , marking his first time not batting leadoff for the Dodgers since June 16, 2024. The red-hot Mookie Betts is filling the leadoff spot instead against Padres left-hander Robbie Ray .

De Paula, meanwhile, will be making his Triple-A debut as a starter for the Oklahoma City Comets in Game 2 of the PCL championship series.

In the 11 games Ohtani missed, no player on the Dodgers reached base more than De Paula. The Dodgers went 11-3 in that span and clinched both a playoff berth and the NL West while moving into strong position to secure a wild-card bye.

Between his cameo in L.A. and a performance in Double-A that won him Texas League MVP honors at 21 years old, De Paula has inspired questions about a place on the Dodgers' postseason roster.

As The Athletic's Katie Woo points out , De Paula being optioned on Wednesday means he will be eligible to be recalled by Oct. 3, when the Dodgers will begin playing the NLDS. He isn't technically eligible for the playoffs because he wasn't on the Los Angeles 40-man roster on Sept. 1, but that can be remedied by petitioning the commissioner's office for him to replace a player going on the injured list.

With Ohtani taking up the designated hitter spot and corner outfielders Teoscar Hernandez and Kyle Tucker both resurrecting down seasons over the past month or so, there's not a natural place for De Paula in the starting lineup.

Per The Athletic, De Paula is still in the mix for a postseason roster spot but appears to be in competition with Dalton Rushing for the role of premium left-handed bench bat. Rushing has been attempting to play through a partially torn UCL since early August. He won't be playing his usual catcher position again in 2026, but he could still hit.

Rushing is expected to be activated sometime this week, at which point he too will be trying to justify October at-bats in the final games of the regular season. De Paula has set a high bar to clear in that regard.

Figuring out where to put a rising star because your superstar is healthy again is ultimately a good problem to have. Whoever is on the roster, the Dodgers are on track to play the Atlanta Braves or Padres in the NLDS, though that could still change in the coming days.