RICHMOND is hopeful veteran Nathan Foley can return this season after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on Monday that could rule him out for an extended period.

Foley was one of two Tigers to undergo recent knee surgery, with first-year midfielder Dan Butler now sidelined for up to 11 weeks after a follow-up operation.

Foley returned from a foot injury in the VFL six weeks ago, but has not played for a month as he battled the knee injury. The decision was made to send him in for surgery on Monday with the aim of getting him back this season.

"It wasn't an acute injury, it's more come about from wear and tear and a bit of degenerative tissue in his knee that's been troubling him," Richmond football manager Dan Richardson told AFL.com.au.

"He's gone in for a clean up and we'll have to monitor how that settles down in the coming weeks.

"Certainly the aim of the surgery was to get him back and hopefully he can have an impact by the end of the year.

"We're hopeful, but it's probably a bit too early to say."

Butler, who was recruited with pick No.67 in last year's Draft, has not played this season because of injury, but he had been slated for a return in three to five weeks. That has now been revised to nine to 11 weeks after a clean up of his lateral meniscus.

"A little bit more needed to be done than was previously thought and he probably won't return to play until the end of the year now," Richardson said.

"As long as he can get back and get fit, hopefully he can get some footy into him in the latter part of the year. That would certainly be the aim."