The St. Louis Cardinals again must face the news of Tommy John surgery (referred to as TJ hereafter). It doesn’t take a complete tear for TJ surgery to be necessary. This surgery can occur with several different injuries to the ligament in the elbow. That said, TJ hasn’t been a death sentence to a career. Many pitchers come back from it very successfully.
In an article released in March of 2015, the author questions the success rate of the surgery stating that there are plenty of pitchers, mostly relievers, whose careers fizzle after having TJ.