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Jacob deGrom's second Tommy John surgery gives 'noted' orthopedic surgeon serious doubts

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 6/22/23

There's at least one "noted" orthopedic surgeon who isn't sold on Jacob deGrom's eventual return from his second Tommy John surgery.

Dr. Richard Lehman, medical director at the U.S. Center for Sports Medicine in St. Louis, recently discussed the two-time NL Cy Young award winner's situation -- as well as other baseball topics -- with Rob Bradford on the Audacy Original Podcast "Baseball Isn't Boring."

Just over two months into his first season with the Texas Rangers, the club announced in early June that deGrom would be undergoing his second operation to repair a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament and would miss the rest of the 2023 campaign. deGrom went under the knife for the first time in 2010 when he was still a prospect in the New York Mets minor league system.
Health has been a significant issue for the four-time All-Star since he made his big-league debut in 2014 (especially in recent years), as he hasn't made over 15 starts or reached 100 innings pitched in a season since 2019.

Today's podcast: The great @DrRickLehman tells us what's what when it comes to the future for Jacob DeGrom, Trevor Story and the somewhat unsettling state of baseball injuries/health. @FDSportsbook @AudacySports
Listen ️https://t.co/mCbwPygNK0 pic.twitter.com/R0HgiIm5NE
— Baseball Isn’t Boring (@BBisntBoring) June 22, 2023

According to Lehman, approximately 25-30% of all MLB pitchers will undergo Tommy John surgery during their careers. He also called the thought that if somebody has the operation, they'll throw harder a "misconception."

"And number three, the chances of pitching three years after your second Tommy John is not that great," Lehman said. "So, yes, some guys come back and just sail, and then some guys you never hear of again. They just can't make it back, and that number is a higher percentage than you think. So, a second Tommy John's not a good thing."

The surgeon added that with deGrom "throwing 97 (miles per hour)" and being "unbelievable, untouchable," it's similar to a car driving "200,000 miles as fast as you can" and "something's going to happen, and that's what's happened."

Lehman said the mindset for hurlers after a second Tommy John surgery should be "Now I'm on the ledge. I may be able to come back. I may not be able to come back. And I'm certainly not going to be able perform as well as I did before I had my second TJ."

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