For I might think, since the Torah speaks of one who sends away and one who is sent away, that just as the first cannot send away unless he is an adult, so, the second cannot be sent away unless he is an adult; it is, therefore, written "free shall he send him in lieu of his tooth" — in any event (i.e., even if he is a minor).
The Torah Grants Freedom to a Bondservant Whose Master Knocks Out
Mekhilta Tractate Nezikin 9:11