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

Marlins ace righty Sandy Alcántara, a two-time All-Star and 2022 NL Cy Young winner is coming back from Tommy John surgery after missing all of last season. —Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025

Burnes made the comment about a month after Cole underwent Tommy John surgery on his elbow, a year after the 2023 AL Cy Young winner missed the first 75 games with an elbow injury. —Larry Fleisher, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025

Having missed nearly two years after his ’22 Tommy John surgery, Buehler is happy to be finding his rhythm, but not yet satisfied with the results. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 21 Apr. 2025

The 10th overall pick in the 2022 draft lost the 2024 season to Tommy John surgery. —Michael Lycklama, Idaho Statesman, 16 Apr. 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