Josue De Paula, the Tulsa Drillers' breakout star, is headed to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 21-year-old outfielder will skip Triple-A entirely and join the Dodgers on Sept. 12, when they open a series against the Miami Marlins. ESPN's Alden González first reported the call-up Thursday, and MLB.com confirmed De Paula will replace Shohei Ohtani, who is going on the injured list with left knee and right biceps injuries. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced the move after Thursday's game, according to Sports Illustrated.

De Paula is the Dodgers' No. 1 prospect and the No. 6 overall prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline. He is the first Dodgers position player to jump straight from Double-A since president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman took over in October 2014.

The numbers explain why.

In 124 games across the Texas League this season, De Paula slashed .303/.401/.547 with 27 home runs, 104 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. He led the league in hits (152), total bases (274), doubles (37), runs (106) and RBIs with four days left in the regular season, per MLB.com. He walked 81 times against 87 strikeouts.

His final game in a Drillers uniform was a statement. De Paula went 2-for-4 with his 27th homer and three RBIs in a 10-1 rout of Northwest Arkansas on Wednesday, Sept. 9, the Tulsa World reported.

De Paula's 106 runs scored broke Tim Wheeler's 2011 Drillers single-season franchise record of 105. His 104 RBIs made him the first Tulsa player to reach 100 in a season since Joe Koshansky's 109 in 2006, according to Drillers game notes. Carlos Pena, in 2000, was the only other Drillers player to finish a season with at least 100 RBIs and 100 runs.

Dodgers special advisor Jason Heyward, a former outfielder who has worked with De Paula, discussed the young hitter's plate discipline in comments to The Athletic.

"It's definitely something that's fun to watch," Heyward said. He noted De Paula's ability to control the tempo of an at-bat. "He goes at the pace he would like to go at, and that allows him to make good decisions."

Roberts said De Paula is expected to serve as the Dodgers' everyday designated hitter while Ohtani is out. Ohtani must spend at least 15 days on the injured list, making Sept. 23 the earliest he can return.

One complication: De Paula was not on the Dodgers' 40-man roster on Sept. 1, which means he is technically not eligible for the postseason, SI reported. The wild-card round begins Sept. 29.

De Paula signed with the Dodgers as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2022 for $397,500. Born in Brooklyn, he is the second cousin of former NBA guards Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair, per MLB.com.

As we reported Thursday, the Drillers set a franchise record with 85 wins this season under manager Eric Wedge. Their Texas League playoff series against the Springfield Cardinals opens Sept. 15, in Springfield. The Drillers host Game 2 on Sept. 17 at 6:30 p.m. at ONEOK Field, with a potential Game 3 on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m.