Antone opens up about Tommy John trifecta

This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon's Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CINCINNATI -- When he found out in April that a third Tommy John surgery on his right elbow was needed if he wanted to continue pitching, Reds reliever Tejay Antone could have retired. And once he decided to have the surgery, Antone could have gone through therapy and rehabilitation privately and away from any spotlight.

But nope. Antone is sharing his journey openly.

“I think a lot of guys like to stay almost reclusive. They don’t really like to share what’s going on," Antone said. "I feel like now is a vital time to share everyone’s insights on how they’re navigating this Tommy John thing. There’s a lot of guys going through it -- guys at the amateur level and professional level -- looking for insight."

Besides using social media to share those insights, Antone is the subject of a limited online documentary series, "Hardball: Three Strikes, Not Out." It was produced and distributed by Beacon Orthopedic and Sports Medicine, where Antone had all three of his elbow surgeries.

"As a lot more people go through it, we’ll all get better together if we share our experiences, what we’re doing, what’s working for us and learning from each other," Antone said.

“He wants to be somebody that educates people and takes them through the ride, the emotional roller coaster, the physical stuff and building up. Whatever he wants to do, I will help him," orthopedic surgeon Dr. Tim Kremchek said.

Kremchek -- who was the Reds' team physician from 1996-2022 -- now serves as a medical consultant, and he has performed all of Antone's ulnar collateral ligament surgeries -- aka Tommy John surgery. The first came in 2017, when Antone was a Minor Leaguer. The second came in 2021, when Antone's superb first full big league season was interrupted by another UCL tear.

The odds, Kremchek said, of pitchers returning from a first Tommy John surgery and pitching at the same level are about 95 percent.

“The second time you do one, the revision, it goes down into the 60s," Kremchek said. "Then after you do a third one, we really don’t have numbers on those yet. Certainly, the chances of coming back are less than the second time ... I’ve done over 3,000 Tommy Johns, and I’ve only done less than 10 for the third time.”

Antone returned from the second surgery in 2023 only to be shut down five appearances later because of elbow tendinitis. At 2024 Spring Training, he cried tears of joy with his wife, Kelsi, when he made the Reds' bullpen for Opening Day.

On April 7, vs. the Mets, Antone was making his fourth appearance of the season when he threw one sixth-inning pitch and had to stop. An MRI exam revealed his flexor mass tendon had torn completely off the bone and there was a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament.

The third Tommy John surgery was different from the other two for a few reasons. This time, it was a "hybrid procedure" where Kremchek inserted an internal brace to hold the UCL together rather than grafting tendons from other parts of Antone's body. There was also a complete repair of the flexor mass tendon.

"I guess the difference is the bone structure feels different [physically] now that I’ve had three surgeries," Antone said. "Not in a painful way, but touching it and feeling what it feels like. I’ve been having really good days. Everything is progressing really well. I’m very happy with it.”

Antone, who will turn 31 on Dec. 5, is hoping to defy long odds of a full comeback. This time, he is more focused on the journey than the destination of returning to pitching in the Major Leagues.

That's in large part because reaching that destination is far from certain. Thinking too much about returning adds stress and it could cause him to rush.

"I definitely have had to lean on my faith through this process," said Antone, who will be arbitration-eligible for the second time this offseason. "Obviously, I want to return to the big leagues. This time around, it’s like I’m trying not to put as much pressure on it and just do each day the best that I can and let whatever happens, happen."

Antone is scheduled to undergo an MRI and an ultrasound exam with Kremchek at Beacon in October. If that goes well, he could be cleared to start throwing with weighted plyo balls. Until then, he remains at home in Texas rehabbing and running his own baseball performance gym -- Kova Sports -- where he also works out.

"I’d love to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I’m still in the tunnel right now," Antone said. "There is no reason to look for the light at the end. I’m enjoying the tunnel, if it makes sense.”