The success rate for pitchers returning from Tommy John surgery is high, but there are no guarantees. A second elbow replacement comes with even more risks.
Shawn Tolleson knows that better than anyone.
The former Texas Rangers closer retired Wednesday after yet another setback some 19 months from his second Tommy John in May 2017. Tolleson, the Rangers Pitcher of the Year in 2015 after registering 35 saves, suffered a torn flexor tendon last spring and it went out again last week.
“Everything in the process has been a bumpy road,” Tolleson said. “For the last three months everything had been going good.