I’ve done a lot of talking about Los Angeles Dodgers’ top prospect Josue De Paula as of late. I even wrote a separate post about him: The Dodgers Are About To Have A Josue De Paula Dilemma. So much so, that when I sat down to write this Prospect Spotlight update for the Dodgers, I forgot that this update wasn’t about De Paula. Absolutely no disrespect to Emil Morales, who this update is actually about, that’s just how loaded the Los Angeles Dodgers pipeline is. Doesn’t seem fair, does it? Perennial World Series favorites on the field, AND a loaded farm system? But, I digress.

Four months ago, when I wrote the initial Prospect Spotlight on Morales, the Dodgers had five Top 100 Prospects according to MLB.com, of which Emil Morales was #92. Fast forward to July and NINE Top 100 players, and Morales has shot up to #45.

Morales continues to excel in the minors, even garnering buzz that he will one day replace Mookie Betts at short. Thay may not seem like much, given that he IS in the Dodgers organization with Betts, but as I’ve stated before, the Dodgers are a team that regularly and firmly lives in the present, often using their top prospects to gain more leverage in pursuit of MLB titles. Knowing that and knowing that the 19-year-old is still a few years away, that is high praise for the young infielder.

He began the 2026 season at Single-A Ontario where he mashed his way to a .323 average through 36 games. He had 15 doubles, 3 triples, 6 homers and 35 RBIs. He then got promoted to High-A Great Lakes and got off to a bit of a tough start at his new stop. He was hitting .192 on June 12th, but has since begun to figure it out, raising his average to .247 on the year through 44 games. This includes his best game as a pro on July 9th when he 4-5 with 2 homers and a double. Combined between the two levels, Morales is showing improvement across the board. He’s got 25 doubles, 17 home runs and 80 RBIs in 2026, which are all career highs already at this point in the season. He is also one triple away from setting a new career high in that category as well.

Morales is a career .307 hitter in the minor leagues, a number that would be even higher if not for his slow start in Great Lakes. He’s showing strides defensively at short, but it appears that the Dodgers are giving him reps at third, which is right in line with my Yoan Moncada comparison back in March.

With all the talk about Josue De Paula and Mike Sirota this year, Emil Morales is doing everything he can to make sure he stays front of mind in the same way. He has shown himself to be a formidable prospect with lots of power and an ability to grow and change as he advances in the farm system – and he’s still a teenager. As the summer heats up, so does Morales, and I think he’ll find his way to the upper levels of the minors in 2027.