He’s neither the tallest guy on the field nor the most talked about name in the league. However, the 28-year-old standout hailing from Division II Lenoir-Rhyne University makes up for it all with his grit, speed, and resilience. He combines elite stolen‑base instincts with a stunning ability to reach base smoothly, having posted a .370 on‑base percentage through 2025 in Triple‑A Oklahoma City, all while swiping 25 bags to lead the team in that category Now, he’s finally nearing the moment he’s long chased!
You must have certainly picked up on the hints that it’s none other than. For the record, the outfielder was drafted by the Atlanta Braves back in 2018. Last December, he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a minor league free agent.
He had been proving his major league ability at Triple-A Oklahoma City. Now, it’s finally the time. A source confirmed on Wednesday that the Dodgers are calling up Dean from the minor leagues.
The Dodgers are bringing up a minor league outfielder to potentially make his MLB debut, as first reported by @dodger_daily
The Dodgers are off on Thursday, so they don’t need to make anything official until Friday:https://t.co/2I4tlJKzli
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) August 7, 2025
The rising outfielder is reportedly right around his MLB debut. Across 80 games in minor leagues, Dean has held the slash line of .279/.376/.434. And with his superlative speed, he has posted 25 stolen bases in 32 attempts. Throughout the span of his eight minor league seasons, he has stolen 237 bases out of 291 attempts.
From his 72 starts for the Comets, the college standout has started 57 games in center field. The others have come in from right field. At this trade deadline the Dodgers added Alex Call in the outfield, but he’s yet to enter the big leagues.
The fans expected the club to be more aggressive at the deadline with their outfield. Lately, the defensive issues in the outfield have not gone unnoticed. On Wednesday night, it was the club’s sloppy defense that added up in the Dodgers 5-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. According to Bob Nightengale from USA Today, the Dodgers did try to land a replacement for Michael Conforto. Now, Dean’s arrival offers a high‑energy, cost‑effective internal solution to those shortcomings.
However, they couldn’t find a perfect fit. But if they do call up Dean, he might be the rescue from their costly mistakes. However, why did the Dodgers not address the outfield gap more aggressively at the trade deadline? They had the chance after all.
The Dodgers were predicted to add this outfielder at the deadline
The Dodgers outshone every other club in the league back during the off-season. Perhaps the World Series champions didn’t feel the need to be aggressive this summer.
Yet, the Dodgers fanbase did expect the club to acquire a star closer and an outfielder to address the gaps in the roster. But they didn’t. Let’s not forget that currently both Tanner Scott and Kirby Yikes are on IL. But when they were healthy and on the field, they still did not meet the hype they brought with them for the first season in Los Angeles.
Bob Nightengale from USA Today revealed that the club was heavily eyeing Steven Kwan from the Cleveland Guardians. The Dodgers believed he would go perfectly to fill in the shoes of Michael Conforto at left field. The Dodges gave their best when it came to negotiating, but at the end, they couldn’t bring him in.
As the trade deadline expired, the Dodgers had reliever Brock Stewart and young outfielder Alex Call, among others. They also bid farewell to righty Dustin May and outfielder James Outman.
With the addition of Alex Call, the Dodgers believe he has attributes to be a quality future outfielder. He’d posted a .763 OPS with 12 doubles, 13 home runs, and 38 RBI in 86 games this season. For now, though, the Dodgers will reportedly rely on Justin Dean’s defensive versatility, elite speed, and high‑on‑base skills to inject a jolt of energy into the lineup.
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