Tommy John Surgeries Remain a Concern in Baseball

With Florida baseball starting off hot, pitchers are ramping up their training, getting ready for there next set of games. Players are excited to get back on the field, but there might be some concern around one of baseball’s most common surgeries for shoulder injuries, Tommy John.

This injury has affected the Florida Gators since 2024. Six players have dealt with or are dealing with torn elbow ligaments that have resulted in Tommy John surgery. Right now, two Florida pitchers are out for the season (Minjae Seo and Blaine Rowland). 

Is Tommy John Really a Threat?

Sports medicine orthopedic surgeon and team physician for the University of Florida, Kevin Farmer, said Tommy John surgery is required when a pitcher tears the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). This ligament experiences stress with every pitch. 

“When you tear that inside ligament, that tends to lead to persistent pain with throwing and inability to perform,” Farmer said.

That the Gators alone have dealt with six of their pitchers going out with this injury, we could see a potential rise in this type of surgery. 

“The number of incidents is going up exponentially, especially in younger athletes. 30% of major league baseball players had Tommy John surgery,” Farmer said.

It can lead to a player missing the season with surgery and rehab. The motion a pitcher’s arm makes is damaging them and they don’t even know it. Farmer said kids trying to throw with more velocity is what causes them to get this injury later in their athletic career. Young players constantly playing in travel teams and pitching at such high speeds can really hurt them in the long run, he said. 

“There’s a lot of pressure to play one sport year-round. If you play multiple sports, there’s evidence that it can be protective for arms,” Farmer said. 

Florida Player Coming Back From Injury

Florida pitcher Schuyler Sandford went through a UCL injury. He had to go through Tommy John surgery to repair that torn ligament. He says after rehab, he wasn’t sure how he would come back, but had to believe in himself. 

“I threw a pitch, and I felt a pop. That’s when I knew that something was wrong. The hardest part was trusting that I was still the same player,” Sandford said. 

Sanford said the recovery process was just as crucial physically as it was for his mental state. It did take a while for him to get back, but he said that he had to trust the process for everything to feel normal again. 

Category: Baseball, College Baseball, Gator Sports, Gators Baseball