Tommy John surgery

noun

Tom·​my John surgery ˈtä-mē-ˈjän- 

plural Tommy John surgeries

: a surgical procedure in which a torn ulnar collateral ligament of the elbow is replaced with a tendon graft typically obtained from a superficial muscle of the forearm : ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction

Dr. Timothy Kremchek, the medical director for the Cincinnati Reds, specializes in an elbow-ligament reconstruction procedure commonly known as Tommy John surgery, named for the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher who first underwent it, in 1974.

—Sara Corbett

But as an outfielder he hurt his throwing arm and had to have Tommy John surgery before the year was out.

—Kelli Anderson

Examples of Tommy John surgery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Boston could turn to right-hander Liam Hendriks, who is returning from Tommy John surgery after missing all of last season, to close games, but nothing has been determined in the Sox bullpen as of now. —Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024

Boyd returned to the majors in mid-August, coming back from elbow issues that had limited his innings since 2021 and that ultimately required Tommy John surgery. —Jared Wyllys, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

Ohtani was unable to pitch this past season while recovering from a revision to his Tommy John surgery but is projected to join the 2025 rotation. —Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024

Bautista, who underwent Tommy John surgery in October 2023, is expected to be ready for the start of spring training, but recovering from that procedure is no easy task. —Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 25 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

after Tommy John (Thomas Edward John, Jr. born 1943), U.S. baseball player who underwent the surgery in 1974

First Known Use

1984, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

Tommy John surgery

noun

Tom·​my John surgery ˈtäm-ē-ˈjän- 

: ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction