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
Sara CorbettBut as an outfielder he hurt his throwing arm and had to have Tommy John surgery before the year was out.—Kelli Anderson
Kelli AndersonExamples of Tommy John surgery in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Almost no one threw 95 mph and Tommy John surgery wasn’t yet developed.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2025
Fried was expected to step behind Cole but then the 2023 Cy Young Award winner went down with Tommy John surgery on his elbow a year after an elbow injury cost him the first 75 games of the season.
—Larry Fleisher, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
The former National League Cy Young Award winner is six starts into his comeback season from Tommy John surgery, and the Marlins are occupying a predictable place in the standings: 12-18, fifth place in the NL East.
—Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Barco had Tommy John surgery in May 2022 and threw a career-high 66 innings last season.
—Melissa Lockard, New York Times, 1 May 2025
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Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2025
Fried was expected to step behind Cole but then the 2023 Cy Young Award winner went down with Tommy John surgery on his elbow a year after an elbow injury cost him the first 75 games of the season.
—Larry Fleisher, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
The former National League Cy Young Award winner is six starts into his comeback season from Tommy John surgery, and the Marlins are occupying a predictable place in the standings: 12-18, fifth place in the NL East.
—Jon Paul Hoornstra, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Barco had Tommy John surgery in May 2022 and threw a career-high 66 innings last season.
—Melissa Lockard, New York Times, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for Tommy John surgery
Cite this Entry
“Tommy John surgery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Tommy%20John%20surgery. Accessed 15 May. 2025.
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Tommy John surgery
noun
Tom·my John surgery
ˈtäm-ē-ˈjän-
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