Josue De Paula can hit, but can rookie factor into Dodgers October plans?

The Dodgers received a reality check over the weekend, as Shohei Ohtani’s absence became noticeable, their high-leverage relievers imploded and Tyler Glasnow looked nothing like the dependable postseason starter they expect him to be.But their visit to Miami wasn’t a complete loss.Their three games against the Marlins confirmed a belief that has grown over the course of the year: They have a real offensive weapon in Josue De Paula, the rookie who blasted an upper-deck home run Sunday in an otherwise disheartening 6-4 loss.De Paula can hit.Like, really hit.That much is already obvious, so much so that the very nature of the 21-year-old’s September call-up has changed.What was initially expected to be a cup of coffee is now an audition.An audition for a spot on the playoff roster.An audition for a starting role in the outfield next season.The left-handed-hitting De Paula offers the Dodgers the kind of offensive jolt they never got last year, when their season had to be saved by the unlikeliest of home-run heroes in Miguel Rojas.With Ohtani and Freddie Freeman likely to be playing in October with serious physical limitations, De Paula could be more of a necessity than a luxury for the Dodgers.At very least, he’s a pinch hitter with a bat that’s like Thor’s hammer.While his shortcomings as a defender and baserunner rule him out from starting in the Dodgers’ postseason opener, he could be a last-ditch option to replace Kyle Tucker or Teoscar Hernández in the lineup at some point if either of them stops hitting.

Or he could be the emergency designated hitter in a worst-case scenario in which Ohtani isn’t healthy enough to play.On the day he was officially promoted from Double-A Tulsa, De Paula said of making the playoff roster, “That’s always in the back of your head.But I don’t want to get too ahead of myself right now.”The Brooklyn-born De Paula certainly doesn’t lack confidence, his demeanor reminiscent of his basketball-playing relatives S...