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

Another young starter, AJ Smith-Sharver, was thriving when his elbow barked unexpectedly, forcing him to undergo Tommy John surgery. —Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026

Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat showed promise in their September cameos, as did Christian Scott in 2024 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. —Tim Britton, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026

While the Yankees hope to have the first two back in the early part of the 2026 season, the latter two are coming off Tommy John surgery and are subject to rust. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2026

The 27-year-old recently returned after missing all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery, but in nine starts down the stretch this past season Oviedo pitched well, posting a 3.57 ERA in 40.1 innings. —Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 8 Jan. 2026

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