More than two months removed from suffering a left knee injury while avoiding the Tulsa Drillers bat dog, Kendall George underwent surgery on Friday.
The Los Angeles Dodgers prospect shared news of his operation through an Instagram story post. “New knee for the kidddd,” George wrote with a smirking emoji.
“Bat dog: 1. KG: 0.”
Kendall George’s knee surgery
According to Jack Harris of the California Post, George had a minimally-evasive surgery and is expected to make a full recovery in time for the start of Spring Training in 2027.
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.
Of course, when Spring Training begins in 2027 is anyone’s guess amid the looming lockout expected at the start of December. Any sort of delay to the start of Spring Training next year could ultimately prove beneficial for George if he happened to need extra time for the rehab process.
George’s season comes to an end after he appeared in 55 games for the Drillers and batted .332/.418/.399 with 11 doubles, two triples and five RBI. He also played in five games with Single-A Ontario as a rehab assignment of sorts after missing one month upon the knee injury.
That occurred during a May 25 game with the Drillers, when George had to suddenly leap out of the way after scoring as the dog sprinted out of the dugout to retrieve a bat, causing him to land awkwardly and hobble into the clubhouse. The incident prompted Tulsa to suspend their bat dog program.
The Dodgers initially feared George suffered a significant injury that was going to require immediate surgery. He instead returned to play in 17 more games this year when including the brief stint spent with the Tower Buzzers.
This year was George’s first time at the Double-A level, and together with Josue De Paula, Zyhir Hope and Mike Sirota, made up a strong Drillers outfield. They are part of an impressive group of Dodgers prospects that has the farm system ranked as one of the best in baseball.
Hope’s time in the Dodgers organization came to an end at the trade deadline as he was part of the package sent to the Detroit Tigers for Tarik Skubal.
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