Tommy John Procedure

Tejay Antone’s new book is titled The Tommy John Protocol — a hybrid autobiography and instructional guide based on his experience undergoing three Tommy John surgeries. According to MLB.com, the manuscript is complete, an editor has been hired, and Antone hopes to release it in summer 2026.

What the book covers

His full journey through three UCL surgeries, including the emotional and physical challenges.
Practical tips, philosophies, and recovery strategies for athletes going through Tommy John surgery — inspired by the many young players who reach out to him for advice.
Autobiographical reflections on his MLB career, setbacks, and attempts at multiple comebacks.

Current status

The book is written and in editing.
Antone has expressed optimism about sharing his story and helping others facing similar injuries.

If you want, I can pull together a chapter-by-chapter expectation, a summary of themes, or help you explore similar baseball rehab memoirs like other baseball recovery books.

Here’s a chapter‑by‑chapter expectation for Tejay Antone’s upcoming book The Tommy John Protocol, based on everything he has publicly shared about its purpose, themes, and timeline. Since the book isn’t released yet, this is a realistic projection of what the structure will likely look like given his story, interviews, and the typical arc of athlete‑recovery memoirs.

The Tommy John Protocol — Expected Chapter Breakdown

1. The First Tear

The moment everything changed: the initial UCL injury, the shock, the diagnosis, and the emotional freefall that comes with hearing “you need Tommy John.” Likely includes early career context and the optimism of a rising pitcher suddenly interrupted.

2. Surgery No. 1 — Hope and Naivety

Walkthrough of the first Tommy John surgery:

What he expected
What he didn’t
The early grind of rehab This chapter probably sets up the contrast between the first and later surgeries.

3. The Long Road Back

The day‑to‑day monotony and mental battles of rehab. Expect details about:

Small victories
Setbacks
Learning patience
The first time he threw again

4. Return to the Mound

His comeback to MLB after the first surgery. Themes: gratitude, fear, rediscovering identity, and the pressure to prove he still belonged.

5. The Second Tear — A Different Kind of Pain

The second UCL injury hits harder. This chapter likely focuses on:

The emotional devastation
The “not again” moment
The difference between physical pain and psychological exhaustion

6. Surgery No. 2 — Reinventing the Process

How his approach changed:

Smarter rehab
More intentional training
Understanding his body This is where the “protocol” part of the book begins to take shape.

7. Building the Protocol

Antone has said he receives many messages from young pitchers asking for advice. This chapter likely outlines:

His personal rehab philosophy
What he wishes he knew earlier
Practical guidance for athletes and parents

8. The Third Blow — The Unexpected Setback

His third major elbow surgery in 2024. Expect raw honesty:

Doubt
Anger
Acceptance
The decision to keep fighting

9. Surgery No. 3 — Mastery Through Suffering

By this point, he’s an expert in his own anatomy. This chapter probably blends:

Technical insight
Emotional resilience
Lessons learned from repeating the same mountain climb three times

10. The Mental Game

A deep dive into:

Anxiety
Identity loss
The loneliness of rehab
How he rebuilt confidence This is likely one of the most important chapters for readers going through injury.

11. Community, Faith, and Support Systems

Antone has spoken about the role of:

This chapter probably highlights the people who carried him through.

Family
Teammates
Medical staff
Fans

12. The Comeback Mindset

Not a guarantee of a return — but a commitment to the process. Expect themes of:

Purpose
Growth
Redefining success
What he wants young athletes to take away from his story

13. The Protocol — A Practical Guide

A structured, actionable section:

Rehab principles
Strength routines
Mental strategies
Advice for parents, coaches, and players This is the “instructional” part of the hybrid memoir.

14. Looking Forward

A closing reflection on:

His hopes for the future
His relationship with baseball
Why he wrote the book
What he wants his legacy to be

Here’s a thematic summary of The Tommy John Protocol — built around the core ideas Tejay Antone has emphasized publicly and the emotional/physical arc of a three‑time Tommy John survivor. This captures the book’s likely heart, not just its events.

Cincinnati Reds Pitcher Tejay Antone Gives An Update On His Tommy John Surgery

Reds’ Tejay Antone returns to mound after 3rd elbow surgery in 2024, throws an awesome inning! Bing Videos

Thematic Summary of The Tommy John Protocol

1. The Fragility of a Dream

At its core, the book wrestles with how quickly a career — and identity — can be disrupted. Antone’s first UCL tear represents the shattering of momentum, the sudden confrontation with vulnerability, and the realization that talent alone isn’t enough to survive in professional sports.

2. Reinvention Through Pain

Each surgery forces a different kind of reinvention:

The first is physical
The second is psychological
The third is existential The theme isn’t just “overcoming injury,” but becoming someone new each time the body breaks.

3. Mastery of the Process

Antone has said he wants to help young pitchers who message him about rehab. That intention shapes a major theme: mastery through repetition, discipline, and understanding your own body. The “protocol” is less a set of exercises and more a philosophy of deliberate, patient, intelligent recovery.

4. The Loneliness of Rehab

Rehab is portrayed as a deeply isolating experience:

Teammates move on
Games continue without you
Progress is invisible to everyone but you This theme explores the emotional quiet of long-term injury — the hours spent alone, the doubts that creep in, and the internal conversations that shape resilience.

5. Identity Beyond the Mound

Three surgeries force Antone to confront who he is without baseball. Themes include:

Detaching self-worth from performance
Finding purpose outside velocity and stats
Understanding that a career is not the same as a life This is where the book likely becomes more reflective and universal.

6. Faith, Support, and Community

Antone has spoken about the people who carried him through setbacks. This theme highlights:

Family grounding him
Teammates offering perspective
Medical staff becoming partners in hope
Fans providing unexpected encouragement It’s a reminder that recovery is never truly solitary.

7. The Courage to Try Again

The third surgery reframes the entire narrative. This theme centers on:

Choosing hope when logic says quit
Accepting uncertainty
Redefining success as effort, not outcome It’s the emotional climax of the story — the moment where perseverance becomes a choice rather than an instinct.

8. Giving Back Through Knowledge

The book’s instructional component reflects a final theme: turning personal suffering into communal wisdom. Antone isn’t just telling his story; he’s offering a roadmap for others so they don’t feel as lost as he once did.

If you’re drawn to that line — “a roadmap for others so they don’t feel as lost as he once did” — that’s really the emotional spine of Antone’s whole project. Here’s what that roadmap looks like when you distill it into something someone recovering from a major injury could actually use.

Below is a clear, structured roadmap built from the themes of The Tommy John Protocol — not medical instructions, but the mental and strategic framework Antone is trying to pass on.

A Roadmap So Others Don’t Feel Lost

This is the kind of guidance Antone’s story naturally shapes: practical, emotional, and deeply human.

01 Accept the Reality of the Injury

Foundation

You can’t move forward until you stop fighting the fact that things have changed.

Acknowledge the disappointment and fear without judging yourself
Let go of the idea that recovery will be linear
Give yourself permission to feel what you feel

02 Build a Support Circle

Stability

Recovery is too long and too lonely to do without people who steady you.

Say to someone you trust: “I’m going to need support during this. Can I lean on you when the process gets tough?”

Identify 2–3 people you can be honest with
Share your goals and your fears with them
Let them help you stay grounded on hard days

03 Create a Daily Structure

Consistency becomes your anchor when progress feels invisible.

Set a simple routine: sleep, rehab, movement, reflection
Track small wins — they matter more than you think
Avoid comparing today’s progress to your old self

04 Redefine Success During Recovery

Mindset Shift

Your old metrics don’t apply; you need new ones that match where you are.

Focus on effort, not performance
Celebrate durability, not velocity
Measure progress in weeks and months, not days

05 Learn Your Body Like a Craft

Understanding your own mechanics and limits becomes a superpower.

Pay attention to patterns: what helps, what hurts
Ask questions during every medical or training session
Treat recovery as skill-building, not just healing

06 Stay Connected to the Game Without Letting It Define You

You can love baseball without letting it consume your identity.

Watch film, study strategy, stay mentally sharp
Explore interests outside the sport to stay balanced
Remind yourself that you are more than your elbow

07 Prepare for Setbacks Without Letting Them Break You

Resilience

Setbacks aren’t failures — they’re part of the terrain.

Expect plateaus and flare-ups
Revisit your support circle when doubt spikes
Remember that progress often hides behind frustration

08 Turn Your Experience Into Guidance for Others

Sharing what you’ve learned gives meaning to the struggle.

Offer perspective to younger players
Share what you wish you’d known earlier
Let your story become someone else’s map

This is the heart of Antone’s message: you’re not supposed to know the way — you build it as you go, and then you hand it to the next person so they don’t have to walk blind.

If you want, I can also shape this into a motivational letter, a short speech, or a player‑friendly handout. Would you like a motivational letter, a speech, or a one-page_handout?

Here’s a motivational letter shaped directly from the roadmap you chose — written in a grounded, human tone that mirrors the spirit of Antone’s message without pretending to be him. It’s meant for someone standing at the start (or the middle) of a long, uncertain recovery.

A Motivational Letter Inspired by the Roadmap

If you’re reading this, you’re probably somewhere between the shock of an injury and the long stretch of work that follows it. Maybe you feel behind. Maybe you feel alone. Maybe you’re wondering if you’ll ever feel like yourself again.

I want you to know this first: you’re not lost — you’re just early in the journey.

Every athlete who’s ever come back from something big has stood exactly where you’re standing. Confused. Angry. Motivated one day and defeated the next. That mix of emotions isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s proof that you care enough to fight for what matters.

Here’s what I want you to hold onto as you move forward.

1. Your dream didn’t break — your path just changed.

Injuries feel like endings, but they’re often beginnings in disguise. You’re not starting over; you’re starting wiser. Every setback forces you to learn your body, your mind, and your limits in ways success never could.

2. Progress is built from small, unglamorous victories.

Most of your comeback won’t happen under stadium lights. It’ll happen in quiet rooms, early mornings, and slow repetitions that no one else sees. Don’t underestimate those moments. They’re the bricks that rebuild you.

3. You don’t have to pretend to be fearless.

Doubt is normal. Fear is normal. What matters is that you keep moving anyway. Courage isn’t the absence of fear — it’s the decision to keep showing up in spite of it.

4. You’re allowed to ask for help.

Lean on your people. Trainers, teammates, family, friends. Recovery is too heavy to carry alone, and you don’t get extra points for pretending you can.

5. Your identity is bigger than your injury.

You are more than your velocity, your stats, or your role on a roster. This process will challenge you, but it will also reveal parts of you that pressure and performance never could.

6. You will come out of this with something worth sharing.

One day, someone younger or newer will ask you how you did it — how you kept going, how you stayed patient, how you handled the days when everything hurt. And you’ll have an answer, because you lived it.

That’s the real gift of this journey: you’re building a roadmap that someone else will someday follow.

So keep going. Even on slow days. Even on the hard days. Especially on the days when you feel stuck. You’re not falling behind — you’re becoming the kind of person who knows how to rise.

And that’s worth every step.

The process of Tommy John surgery EXPLAINED | Mayday!

Analyzing MLB Tommy John Surgeries: Data Insights and Trends from 2000-2024

The increase in Tommy John surgeries in baseball today can be attributed to several factors:
Higher Velocity of Pitches: The average velocity of pitches has increased significantly, with professional pitchers throwing harder than ever before. This has put more stress on the UCL, leading to more tears.

Pitch Clock: The introduction of a pitch clock in 2023 has added a time constraint to pitching, which can stress the UCL.

Sweeper Pitch: This high-velocity breaking ball has been blamed for stressing the UCL, contributing to the increase in surgeries.

Youth Sports Growth: The number of surgeries has increased by about 9% each year, with a significant portion performed on teenagers.

Professionalism: The demands of the game have increased, pushing athletes to throw more frequently and with greater intensity.

These factors combined have led to a significant rise in Tommy John surgeries, with professional pitchers and even youth athletes now experiencing this common procedure.

50 years after the first procedure, Tommy John surgery is more common than ever − especially for young athletes – Cobb Courier

Baseball Injury Prevention: Why is Tommy John Surgery on the Rise? – Mishock Physical Therapy & Associates

Analyzing MLB Tommy John Surgeries: Data Insights and Trends from 2000-2024

The Road Back: Navigating the Tommy John Epidemic – Axcess Baseball

Why is so many Tommy Johns in baseball today – Search Videos