Tommy John surgery

noun

Tom·​my John surgery ˈtä-mē-ˈjän- How to pronounce Tommy John surgery (audio)
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 After watching Walker Buehler tinker, toil and tumble through 10 troubling starts in his return from a second career Tommy John surgery this season, the Dodgers pitching coach had a simple message for the right-hander ahead of a bullpen session in St. Louis last month. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2024 The right-hander had been out since undergoing Tommy John surgery on April 19, 2023. Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2024 In what has become the fashionable trend for pitchers wearing Dodger blue, it was announced this week that River Ryan will have Tommy John surgery and will miss the 2025 season. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2024 The Giants went all-in on Robbie Ray (coming off of Tommy John surgery) and youngsters Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong, trading No. 6 starter Alex Cobb for a prospect that will never see the big leagues. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for Tommy John surgery 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Tommy John surgery.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of Tommy John surgery was in 1984

Dictionary Entries Near 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 11 Sep. 2024.

Medical Definition

Tommy John surgery

noun
Tom·​my John surgery ˈtäm-ē-ˈjän- How to pronounce Tommy John surgery (audio)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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