Dodgers prospect undergoes surgery two months after freak injury

When Dodgers prospect Kendall George was initially scratched from a game with Double-A Tulsa last Saturday, there was a thought he might be getting traded.

Turned out, the speedy outfielder had instead suffered a setback in his return from a freak injury earlier this season, one that he announced on Friday ultimately necessitated season-ending knee surgery.

Dodgers prospect Kendall George is finished for the season after having knee surgery. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

George, a 21-year-old former first-round pick of the Dodgers who stole 100 bases in High-A during the 2025 season, posted about his surgery on Instagram on Friday.

According to a source, it was a scope procedure that will require him to rehab over the next couple months. But, he is expected to be 100% by the start of spring training next year.

“New knee for the kidddd,” George wrote. “Bat dog: 1. KG: 0.”

That caption was in reference to the incident that caused George’s injury in late May.

After scoring during a game in Tulsa, the prospect had to leap out of the way of the club’s so-called bat dog to avoid colliding with by it by the entrance to the dugout.

George landed awkwardly on his left leg in the moment and was caught by broadcast cameras hobbling off the field.

The encounter prompted the organization’s Tulsa affiliate to suspend its bat dog program.

While sources at the time said George had suffered a patellar injury, there initially was hope that surgery wouldn’t be required.

George returned to the field about a month later and hit .327 over 12 games in Tulsa during July, with three extra-base hits and seven stolen bases. On the season, he was hitting .332 with 33 steals and an .817 OPS. According to MLB Pipeline, he had become the No. 11-best prospect in the Dodgers’ farm system.

George was injured earlier this season trying to avoid Tulsa’s bat dog. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last Saturday, however, George was scratched from Tulsa’s lineup along with fellow outfield prospect Zyhir Hope — in what was the first sign of the Dodgers’ impending trade for Tarik Skubal with the Detroit Tigers.

While Hope was removed as part of the return package for Skubal, though, George was instead dealing with lingering knee problems, a source said.

George went on the injured list this week to receive a follow-up medical evaluation on his still-ailing knee.

Ultimately, it prompted the young speedster to undergo surgery, marking a disappointing end to what had been a promising campaign.