Who is Jonny DeLuca? Meet Dodgers latest called up prospect

Jonny DeLuca is the latest addition to the list of rookies being called up by the Los Angeles Dodgers. DeLuca will take up a place in the active roster replacing Trayce Thompson following his injury against the New York Yankees on Saturday.

Jonny DeLuca was drafted in the 25th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Oregon. He played briefly in the Arizona Complex League before getting a full-fledged season in 2021. He started off the year playing for the Great Lakes Loons, averaging .264 in 101 games. For 2022, he was promoted to Double-A and played with the Tulsa Drillers again averaging in excess of .260.

In November of last year, DeLuca was added to the 40-man roster by Los Angeles to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, which keeps a check on the number of young players being added to the minor leagues of a particular team.

He started this season with the Oklahoma City Dodgers before finally being called up to the LA roster again.

The 24-year-old has shown immense prowess with his power and speed. In the last two and a half seasons, DeLuca blasted 61 home runs and stole 49 bases out of 54 attempted.

He will replace Thompson after a six-pitch walk, where the 32-year-old checked his swing resulting in a strained oblique.

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Jonny DeLuca says it's a 'cool experience' to be part of the Active Roster

It is quite certain that a rookie like Jonny DeLuca would be excited about his selection. When asked about his addition, he said the following.

“It happens so quick,” DeLuca said. “Everyone here says it happens super quick, but you don’t really believe it until it’s actually there. So yeah, just trying to stay consistent every day. A lot of things are out of my control, so just doing my best on the field. And sometimes things like this happen. So it’s a pretty cool experience.”

The Dodgers will be banking on DeLuca to provide backup and fill in the gap that still persists with their outfield players.