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

Bieber came to grips with his incoming Tommy John surgery on April 2, 2024, at T-Mobile Park. —Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025

The right-hander made seven starts late in the season in his return from Tommy John surgery after he was acquired from the Cleveland Guardians on July 31. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025

Like the Dodgers, the Yanks have deep starting pitching this year, even with Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt recovering from Tommy John surgery. —Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 3 Oct. 2025

Tanner Houck was compromised from the beginning and eventually underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery. —Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 3 Oct. 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