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

Addison Barger seemed like a candidate to take on a lineup-lifting role after a breakout 2025, but his year ended after just 28 at-bats because of Tommy John surgery. — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

In April, Hurt returned from more than two years away following Tommy John surgery. — Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 16 Aug. 2026

Before what became known as Tommy John surgery, John had 124 wins in 12 seasons. — Michael Kupper, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026

When veteran right-hander Shelby Miller signed a two-year deal with Cubs in February, the 35-year-old wasn’t content with taking the full season to recover from Tommy John surgery. — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 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