Reds’ Antone likely out until 2023 after surgery
MILWAUKEE – Tejay Antone’s worst fear was realized when he came off the mound Tuesday with an elbow injury.
Antone announced via Twitter he was set to undergo Tommy John surgery on Friday for the second time in the last five years. Reds medical director Dr. Timothy Kremchek will perform the procedure. The typical timeline for a second Tommy John surgery is 15 months, so Antone is expected to miss the entire 2022 season.
“Not how I imagined my season ending,” said Antone, who was born in Oklahoma City and is the son of former Sooner Tony Antone. “I will be undergoing my second Tommy John surgery (Friday). I have full trust in Dr. Kremchek and his team to get me back even better this time. Life is bigger than one person’s career. My hope through this whole thing is to inspire others.
“Thank you to the Reds for taking care of me though this rocky road. And to my teammates, your love and support is unmatched. I will be back from this. Save this tweet.”
Antone ended his tweet with a “Road to 101” hashtag. When he had Tommy John surgery in 2017, he wrote, “Road to 100” at the end of social media posts. Some of his teammates made fun of him for it – he was a guy who used to throw in the low-90s – but he transformed into a guy who could reach 100 mph in the last two seasons.
The history of pitchers returning from a second Tommy John surgery is worse than pitchers who recover from it the first time.
Tommy John surgery replaces the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in an elbow with a tendon from elsewhere in the body.
Some notable pitchers who required two Tommy John surgeries: Jameson Taillon (3.94 ERA in 24 starts with the New York Yankees this year), former Washington Nationals closer Daniel Hudson and Boston Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi.
San Diego Padres starter Mike Clevinger underwent a second Tommy John surgery last year, performed by Kremchek, and he’s scheduled to return to the mound in 2022.
“He’s already looking forward to the future,” Reds manager David Bell said of Antone.
“With his talent, his strength, his drive – which is really incredible – it’s going to get him through it. It is going to work out. He will be back.”
Antone quickly became one of the top-performing relievers in the league after opening eyes with how well he pitched in spring training in 2020. Antone had a 2.48 ERA across 69 innings in his first two big-league seasons with 87 strikeouts and 29 walks.
He competed for a spot in the starting rotation this spring, but his second Tommy John surgery will likely keep him as a reliever when he returns.