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Dodgers prospect, ex-Arkansas commit Kendall George hurt while dodging bat dog

Danby: Daniel Hager05/28/26DanielHagerOn3

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate, the Tulsa Drillers, is suspending its bat dog program. This comes after outfielder Kendall George was injured avoiding the dog heading back to the dugout earlier this week.

George, a former Arkansas commit, suffered a patellar tendon injury in the freak accident. Luckily, he did not sustain ligament damage, according to an initial MRI. He is tabbed as the Dodgers’ No. 13-ranked prospect in their organization. It is currently unclear how much time George will miss due to the injury.

Prior to the accident, the 36th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft was hitting for a .333 batting average. He also had nine doubles, one home run, 16 RBI, and 26 stolen bases across 43 games (200 plate appearances).

The Tulsa Drillers aren’t the first baseball team to employ a ‘bat dog.’ One of the gimmicks that has added to the fun factor of minor league baseball over the years is that multiple teams have had a ‘bat dog’ storm out of the dugout and retrieve a bat. It just so happened on this play that he may have left the dugout a bit early, nearly colliding with George.

MiLB released scouting report on George prior to 2026 season

MiLB released its scouting report on George prior to the 2026 season. The Atascocita High School alum has played professional baseball since the age of 18.

“The Dodgers used their top pick (36th overall) in the 2023 Draft on the fastest player in the class, signing George for a below-slot $1,847,500,” the scouting report reads. “After an inconsistent first full pro season, he earned Midwest League All-Star honors in 2025 after leading the High-A circuit in on-base percentage (.409), runs (93), walks (84) and steals (100). He swiped 42 bases in his final 39 games to become the fourth Minor Leaguer to reach triple digits in the last two decades.

“If the scouting scale ranged wider than from 20-80, George might earn 100 grades for his speed. He went from the left side of the plate to first base in 3.4 seconds on a bunt in a PDP League game in 2022, and he routinely gets there in less than four seconds on normal balls in play, allowing him to register 40 hits on grounders to the left side of the infield last year. He creates havoc on the bases and covers a lot of ground in center field, though he still has room to improve his reads and jumps in both areas. His arm is below average but playable in center.

“Los Angeles unsuccessfully tried to help George add a bit of pop in 2024, leading to a 28 percent swing-and-miss rate, but he cut that to 19 percent last season by playing to his strengths. He focuses on getting on base by using a discerning eye and slashing at balls, posting the lowest pull rate (23 percent) and the 10th-highest groundball/flyball ratio (2.93) in the Minors in 2025. That approach yields almost no power and all three of his homers last year occurred from April 13-18, though one came off a 94 mph Chase Burns fastball.”