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

Shane Bieber, 29, SP, Rosenhaus: The 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner underwent Tommy John surgery in April and won’t return until the middle of next season. —Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024

The ending was a triumphant one for a pitcher who struggled mightily at times in his first season back following the second Tommy John surgery of his career. —Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

Now, the Dodgers rely upon him as one of only three healthy starting pitcher options, with Walker Buehler in his return from Tommy John surgery, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto who also missed a portion of the regular season. —Tyler Small, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024

Today, about 60% of Tommy John surgery recipients are under 19. —Faith Salie, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2024

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

Medical Definition

Tommy John surgery

noun

Tom·​my John surgery ˈtäm-ē-ˈjän- 

: ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction