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

Even Ohtani, a unique case, was coming off Tommy John surgery when the Dodgers signed him. —and Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 21 June 2025

Sheehan returned from Tommy John surgery on Wednesday and gave up just one run over four innings. —Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 20 June 2025

Coming off of Tommy John surgery is always difficult, so don’t expect miracles. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025

For his sake, Burnes just underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and is likely out until the end of the 2026 season at best. —Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 20 June 2025

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

Rhymes for Tommy John surgery

• radiosurgery
• cryosurgery
• microsurgery
• neurosurgery
• psychosurgery
• perjury

Medical Definition

Tommy John surgery

noun

Tom·​my John surgery ˈtäm-ē-ˈjän- 

: ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction