Dodgers prospect just revealed his freak dog injury ended with a surprise surgery twist

Dodgers No. 11 prospect Kendall George went viral earlier this season for a disastrous-looking run-in the Double-A Tulsa Drillers' bat dog. On his way back to the dugout after scoring a run on May 25, the dog came out to collect No. 1 prospect Josue De Paula's bat after he drove in George. George leapt out of the way to avoid him but was left hobbling when he came back down.

Despite a month-long absence with a meniscus injury following the incident, George returned to action in Tulsa on July 4 and looked like himself for a while. He hit .321 with an .815 OPS and seven stolen bases last month.

The Drillers scratched him from their lineup on Aug. 1, sparking speculation that he was about to be shipped off to the Tigers in a Tarik Skubal trade. He stayed put in the Dodgers' organization, but Tulsa ended up quietly placing him back on their 7-day IL just a few days later.

On Friday, George took to Instagram to clarify things himself. He posted a hospital gown selfie to his story with the caption, "New knee for the kidddd. Bat dog: 1. KG: 0."

Dodgers top prospect Kendall George announces knee surgery after viral incident with Double-A bat dog

The team has yet to confirm whether or not the surgery will keep George out for the rest of the season, but it feels safe to assume that it will. The bigger concern is whether or not he'll look like himself when he eventually does make it back.

George's 80-grade speed (per MLB Pipeline) makes him one of the fastest players in the Dodgers' pipeline. He's inarguably the system's best base stealer; he has 33 stolen bases on the season and swiped three during his rehab assignment with Single-A Ontario. No. 13 prospect Kellon Lindsey, who also boasts a perfect grade for his baserunning, only has 11 stolen bases this year.

George has other tools apart from his speed — he has a .418 OBP in Double-A and .408 across his minor league career — but it's still his real calling card, and the Dodgers would be losing a potential maverick if he returns without the same ability.

For now, we hope that George's surgery went well and that his recovery will go off without a hitch.

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