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

Clarke Schmidt is further behind after undergoing Tommy John surgery in July. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026

The 31-year-old has only made 24 starts over the last three seasons due to multiple injuries, including undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023. —Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025

Santos, 26, had Tommy John surgery to reconstruct his right elbow. —Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2025

Adcock endured a shoulder impingement after the draft, lost the 2020 season to the pandemic and then underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021. —Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Dec. 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