Alden Gonzalez Oct 3, 2026, 03:24 PM ET Close ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.
LOS ANGELES -- Josue De Paula, the prized outfield prospect who made his major league debut three weeks ago, cracked the Los Angeles Dodgers' roster for their National League Division Series showdown against the Atlanta Braves. De Paula, 21, will serve as a left-handed pinch hitter. He beat out backup catcher Dalton Rushing, who is limited to only hitting because of an elbow injury, for that role. The Dodgers, who went with 14 position players and 12 pitchers for their NLDS roster, will also carry Hyeseong Kim as a pinch runner. De Paula was called up as a temporary designated hitter when Shohei Ohtani went on the injured list in September and impressed in 11 games, going 10-for-31 with 11 walks and just five strikeouts.
"What we saw is a really good idea of the strike zone, quality of contact," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "I think that he's really unflappable, good heartbeat. I think that translates into the postseason."
The Braves, who will have to rely heavily on their bullpen coming off a three-game wild-card series against the Philadelphia Phillies, are going with 13 pitchers for the NLDS. J.R. Ritchie and A.J. Smith-Shawver were added to provide length for a team that will essentially go with a bullpen game in Saturday's opener. The Braves also added right-handed-hitting outfielder Lane Thomas to the roster. Thomas missed the wild-card round while in the late stages of his recovery from an intercostal strain but will be a factor against left-handed pitchers in this series. Braves manager Walt Weiss didn't start him against Tarik Skubal in Game 1 because he wanted to give him a day to get acclimated, but he is expected to be in the lineup for Game 2 against fellow lefty Blake Snell. Thomas' inclusion meant left-handed-hitting outfielder Dominic Smith, who had two hits in Thursday's winner-take-all game, was left off the roster. The Braves went with Rowdy Tellez as their main left-handed bat off the bench.
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing