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

He’s been sidelined by injuries in recent years, undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2021. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 17 May 2025

But after undergoing Tommy John surgery in college and missing most of last season with a major injury, Horton simply needs reps. —Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 17 May 2025

Among them is a youthful core of Yankees gradually developing into solid everyday players, the resurgence of Paul Goldschmidt, the brilliance of Max Fried in a year when Gerrit Cole is recovering from Tommy John surgery on his elbow. —Larry Fleisher, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025

Hurling a ball 100 miles an hour, hundreds of times a week, is really, really tough on the ligament that holds the arm together—so violent that more than a third of Major League pitchers have had what’s commonly known as Tommy John surgery, named for the first player who underwent it. —The Atlantic, 15 May 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