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

The right-hander has been recovering after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2025. —Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026

Mills, who underwent Tommy John surgery in July 2023, last pitched in the majors in 2022. —Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026

But Miami’s ace, who is still on his way to returning to true ace form following Tommy John surgery that sidelined him in 2024, used the rest of his arsenal to limit the Nationals. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 10 May 2026

Cruz underwent Tommy John surgery last August and had been rehabbing at the team’s spring training facility in Arizona in late October at the time of his arrest. —Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 9 May 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