Dodgers prospect Kendall George has knee surgery 2 months after bat dog mishap

Los Angeles Dodgers outfield prospect Kendall George, one of the fastest players in the minor leagues, posted on his Instagram on Friday that he was undergoing left knee surgery months after suffering a meniscus injury while avoiding a bat dog in a Double-A game.

George initially suffered the injury in late May when he leapt to avoid a bat dog collecting a bat at home plate after scoring a run. The mishap led the Double-A Tulsa Drillers to suspend their bat dog program.

He also appeared to be limping and was removed from the game after he tried to avoid a collision with the bat dog, which seems important. https://t.co/5DH1BemaFg pic.twitter.com/CzS5GVaqA6

— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) May 26, 2026

George returned to game action a month later, stealing 10 bases over his next 17 games.

Last Saturday, speculation swirled when George was a late scratch from the Tulsa lineup. At the time, trade rumors were heating up over the Dodgers’ pursuit of Tarik Skubal. Fellow top prospect Zyhir Hope was scratched from Tulsa’s lineup at the same time. Hope, but not George, was traded to the Detroit Tigers as part of the package to land Skubal.

A team source at the time not authorized to speak publicly about the health of players said George was out of the lineup due to soreness. George was then placed on the minor league IL.

George was the Dodgers’ first-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, making waves for his speed and base-stealing prowess. Just last year, George swiped 100 bases while playing for High-A Great Lakes. He showed some improvement at the plate this season, turning more of his fly balls into line drives and hitting .332 in 55 games for Tulsa with 36 stolen bases. He entered this season as the Dodgers’ No. 13 prospect, according to The Athletic’s Keith Law.