A former Mansfield Legacy High School standout is back on a Major League mound this summer after three Tommy John surgeries nearly ended his career, and much of his comeback was built in Fort Worth. Tejay Antone threw a scoreless eighth inning in the Cincinnati Reds' 5-4, 10-inning win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, the latest milestone in a return that once looked like a long shot even to him.
Antone became just the third pitcher in Major League history to come back from three Tommy John surgeries, joining relievers Johnny Venters and Jason Isringhausen as the only others to accomplish the feat, according to the Weatherford News. As reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Antone was called up to Cincinnati's active roster on May 6 after opening the 2026 season with Triple-A Louisville, and he pitched a perfect inning with two strikeouts against the Chicago Cubs in his return to the majors that same day.
A Third Injury on a Devastating Day
Antone's path back began with heartbreak. On April 7, 2024, he suffered a completely torn flexor mass tendon and a partial ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right elbow while pitching against the New York Mets, per the Star-Telegram, with the injury striking on the first pitch of his fourth appearance of that season. According to Texas Health Sports Medicine, Antone pitched through emotional distress that day because his wife had suffered a miscarriage earlier that same day and was recovering in the hospital; he had insisted on taking the mound as a mental diversion before feeling the pop in his arm.
He underwent his third Tommy John surgery on April 12, 2024, which included having an internal brace placed in his elbow, the Star-Telegram reports. It was his second such procedure, following an earlier Tommy John surgery in 2022 and his first in the years after he initially made the majors. Antone said he considered ending his career altogether, according to the Star-Telegram, and did not pick up a baseball again until November 18, 2024.
Rebuilding an Arm in Fort Worth
Most of Antone's rehabilitation took place at Texas Health Sports Medicine in Fort Worth starting in June 2024, with his care there completed in February 2025, per the Star-Telegram. Clinical coordinator Craig Warner used 3D motion capture technology and diagnostic ultrasound to evaluate Antone's biomechanics and guide his throwing progression, according to Texas Health Sports Medicine, which primarily serves TCU Athletics along with baseball players from the high school level through the pros.
Warner said Antone's third rehabilitation process was more conservative than his prior recoveries, per the Star-Telegram, with the Reds' medical staff providing the rehabilitation guidelines and timelines that shaped his return. Antone also trained at Kova Sports, the baseball rehabilitation facility in Mansfield that he owns and used as his full-time training spot, the Star-Telegram notes. He has said his faith gave him patience and peace throughout the recovery.
The Long Odds of a Third Comeback
The statistics were not in Antone's favor. Sports medicine systematic reviews show that while a first Tommy John surgery yields an 80% to 97% return-to-play rate for Major League pitchers, revision surgery return rates drop to between 77% and 85%, with only about half of pitchers returning to their pre-injury performance levels, according to a review published on PubMed Central. More than a quarter of active Major League pitchers have undergone the elbow ligament reconstruction at least once in their careers, per ArmCare, a figure that underscores just how common the surgery has become even as revision success rates lag behind.
Antone first pitched in a game since his third surgery for the Louisville Bats on May 28, 2025, before re-signing with the Reds organization on a minor league contract that November 14, per the Star-Telegram. He advanced through Cincinnati's system from the rookie affiliate to Triple-A Louisville in just two years earlier in his career, after the Reds drafted him in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Weatherford College.
From Weatherford College to the Big Leagues
Antone's route to professional baseball ran through North Texas. The New York Mets drafted him in the 22nd round of the 2012 MLB Draft, but he chose to sign with TCU instead, appearing in six games for the Horned Frogs in 2013 before transferring to Weatherford College that same year, according to the Star-Telegram. In his 2014 season at Weatherford, he posted a 7-6 record with a 2.88 ERA across 84.1 innings, per the Weatherford News, before Cincinnati selected him that June.
Antone made his major league debut against the Cubs on July 27, 2020, and was added to the Reds' 40-man roster in 2019. He returned to the majors for the 2023 season after his first elbow setback, which struck during spring training before the 2017 season, before making Cincinnati's roster out of camp again in 2024 — the year his third injury cut that season short.
Adjusting a Pitching Style Without Peak Velocity
Now back for good, Antone has adapted his approach on the mound rather than relying on the triple-digit fastball and sharp curveball that once earned him the nickname Captain Hook, according to MLB.com. That shift tracks with broader research: an analysis of Statcast pitch-tracking data from pitchers returning from ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, examined in a report on Substack, found a significant drop in fastball usage and effectiveness during pitchers' first full year back, even after velocity and spin rate recover to their prior baseline.
Through his first 18 relief appearances following his May call-up, Antone recorded a 1-0 record, one save, 17 strikeouts and six walks across 19.2 innings, per the Weatherford News. Over the full 2026 season he has appeared in 38 games, posting a 1-0 record with a 2.84 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 38 innings, according to the Star-Telegram.
Turning Recovery Into a Guidebook
Antone spent 18 to 24 months writing and preparing a book while undergoing his third major rehabilitation, according to MLB.com. He published the 238-page title, The Tommy John Protocol: How to Rebuild Your Arm, Your Mind, and Your Faith, in July 2026, combining memoir with an instructional rehabilitation guide for athletes facing severe injuries. For a pitcher who once considered walking away from the game entirely, the book stands as a record of the same patience and faith he has credited with carrying him through three reconstructions and back to a Major League mound.
