Dodgers Prospect Injures Knee While Jumping Out of Bat Dog's Way

Nobody in baseball has had worse luck than Kendall George this week.

The Los Angeles Dodgersdrafted George with the 36th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, and he’s currently playing for the Tulsa Drillers, the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate. On Monday, the Drillers trounced the Northwest Arkansas Naturals 14-8, but George exited the game in the second inning after a fluke injury.

George had just scored a run after Josue De Paula singled, prompting the Drillers’ bat dog to bolt out of the dugout and retrieve De Paula’s bat.

The broadcast captured the moment the bat dog ran into George’s path. When George tried to jump out of the way, he landed awkwardly and came up limping. He understandably slammed his helmet to the ground and screamed in frustration while hobbling into the dugout.

The California Post’s Jack Harris reported Wednesday that the Dodgers are “still awaiting a final medical opinion,” but the fear is that George suffered a “moderate patellar injury.” An unnamed spokesperson confirmed to Harris that the Drillers have suspended their bat dog program “for the immediate future” after George’s injury.

“Initial testing on the knee was not that optimistic about George's outlook, but the organization is still awaiting the official results, a source said,” The Athletic‘s Fabian Ardaya and Jesus Cano similarly reported. “It could be a devastating blow for a prospect who made massive strides with his contact rate this season and had accelerated his own major-league timeline in the process.”

George, 21, has appeared in 43 games for the Drillers this season, with 26 stolen bases and a career-best .333/.417/.397 slash line.

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This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 5:20 PM.