LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers are staring down the most agonizing roster crunch of the Dave Roberts era, and with the postseason roster announcement looming and the regular season winding down to its final six games, the club’s decision-makers are being forced into an impossible choice that could define their October fate.
Roberts himself has now confirmed what many inside the organization had whispered for weeks: two of the most intriguing names on the roster bubble, rookie sensation Jose De Paula and veteran utility man Ha-Seong Kim, are both firmly in the mix for a postseason spot, setting up a brutal numbers game that will leave someone talented on the outside looking in.
The revelation came as the Dodgers enjoyed their final off day of the regular season, a brief pause before a three-game set against the San Diego Padres and a closing three-game road trip against the San Francisco Giants, a stretch that will determine whether Los Angeles secures the coveted first-round bye or is forced into a wild-card series.
At the center of the storm is De Paula, the organization’s No. 1 prospect, who has done nothing but produce since his call-up to the majors. In his first ten career games, the young slugger has posted a staggering .
974 OPS with a 175 weighted runs created plus, drawing ten walks against just four strikeouts while collecting four extra-base hits, seven RBIs and a . 286/. 474/.
500 slash line.
Those numbers scream postseason worthy, and Roberts has taken notice. De Paula was electrifying in the recent series against the Giants, going five for ten with two doubles, three RBIs and three walks, looking every bit like the top prospect he is billed to be. Yet the question that gnaws at the Dodgers’ front office is not whether he can hit, but whether he can be trusted in the field when every pitch carries the weight of a season.
De Paula is acutely aware of the criticism. “I know that’s a big area of improvement for me,” he said. “I know I got a lot of hate on it.
So, I’m the type if I get hate on it, I’m going to focus on it more. So, I’m going to shut up a lot of people with my defense very, very soon.” It was a defiant, mature response from a player who has said all the right things since arriving in the big leagues.
The complication is the Dodgers’ outfield logjam. Kyle Tucker patrols right field, Andy Pages is expected back from injury imminently, perhaps as soon as tomorrow, and Teoscar Hernandez holds down left. Shohei Ohtani occupies the designated hitter spot, leaving no obvious runway for De Paula unless the club prioritizes his bat over Hernandez’s superior, though not elite, defensive reputation.
That calculus will be tested in real time over the next week. How much De Paula actually plays with Ohtani and Pages both returning will tell the story of whether he has done enough to force his way onto the October roster, or whether the Dodgers will opt for defensive certainty over offensive upside.
The second name in the conversation is Ha-Seong Kim, whose candidacy rests on an entirely different foundation. Roberts said Kim is “definitely in the conversation” and will remain with the team through the week leading into the playoffs, a strong signal that the Dodgers value his speed and defensive versatility even as his offensive consistency has wavered.
Kim’s value lies in what he unlocks on the bench. Pair him with Jose Iglesias, and the Dodgers suddenly possess a devastating late-game combination: a pinch-hit option with on-base ability and a defensive replacement who can man second base or the outfield, giving Roberts the flexibility to exploit matchups in the middle and late innings of a playoff game.
Imagine a scenario where Roberts wants to pinch hit for Tommy Edman to gain an offensive edge. He turns to Iglesias. Then, to protect the lead, he slides Kim in at second base or into the outfield if he has pinch hit for Chris Taylor or Enrique Hernandez.
It is a chess match, and the Dodgers, with their extraordinary depth, can afford to keep aces in their pocket at all times.
The counterargument is that Edman has been excellent at second base, Taylor and Hernandez remain valuable contributors, and roster spots are finite. But postseason baseball is a game of matchups, and the Dodgers know that the right bench construction can be the difference between a deep October run and an early, crushing exit.
The urgency is amplified by the calendar. The Dodgers have just six games remaining, and the postseason roster must be finalized soon after. Every at-bat, every defensive rep and every conversation inside the clubhouse over the next week will shape a decision that Roberts described as genuinely difficult, the kind that keeps managers awake at night.
Meanwhile, the organization received encouraging news on the farm. Mike Soroka, the Dodgers’ No. 2 prospect and the No.
15 prospect in all of baseball, has been promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City to finish the regular season rather than staying at Double-A Tulsa, a reward for a spectacular campaign in which he posted a . 306/. 459/.
526 line between High-A and Double-A and led all qualified minor leaguers in on-base percentage.
Soroka’s promotion gives him a chance to accumulate additional at-bats and continue his rapid ascent through the system. In his first two games at Triple-A, he is batting . 333 with two hits and a run scored in six at-bats, a small sample but a promising start.
There is real belief inside the organization that Soroka could reach the majors within the next year.
His rise is made more remarkable by the company he keeps. Jose Ramos, the 2026 Texas League MVP who batted .297 for Tulsa, edged out Soroka for the honor despite Soroka’s gaudy numbers, a testament to the depth of talent the Dodgers have assembled across their minor league affiliates.
For now, though, all eyes remain fixed on the major league roster and the impossible decision at hand. The Dodgers have built a machine designed to win in October, but even the best-built machines require the right parts at the right moment. De Paula represents explosive offensive potential.
Kim represents defensive insurance and speed. Both cannot necessarily fit.
Roberts and his staff must weigh the risk of carrying a rookie with defensive questions against the reward of a bat that has scorched major league pitching in a tiny but dazzling sample. They must decide whether Kim’s versatility is more valuable than the certainty of a more established bench piece. There is no obvious right answer, only the one that will be judged by October’s unforgiving results.
The coming week against the Padres and Giants will serve as an audition, a final referendum on who belongs when the games matter most. The Dodgers are chasing a bye, chasing October glory, and chasing the perfect roster construction that has eluded so many talented teams before them.
What is certain is that the Dodgers’ depth, the very thing that makes them a World Series favorite, is also the source of their most painful dilemma. When you have too many good players, someone worthy gets left behind. Roberts knows it.
The players know it. And soon, the baseball world will know which way the Dodgers chose.
For De Paula, the message is simple: keep hitting, keep working on the defense, and force their hand. For Kim, the message is equally clear: stay ready, stay versatile, and be prepared to deliver in the moments that decide a season. For the Dodgers, the message is the hardest of all: choose wisely, because there is no going back once the roster is set.
The next six games will not just determine seeding and a bye. They will determine legacies, roles and the shape of an October that Los Angeles has been building toward all year. The impossible decision is here, and the clock is ticking.
