The thing about undergoing Tommy John surgery is that rarely do players come back significantly better than they were before. That’s hardly the main objective of the procedure.
The point of ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction is not to improve a pitcher’s arm, but to get it as close back to its natural state as possible — often times using a tendon taken from a patient’s leg or, in cases where that isn’t feasible, using one from a cadaver.
Then the body has to accept it. The player has to learn how to use their arm again from scratch with months of grueling physical therapy. And nothing about the process is at all guaranteed despite how “routine” an average fan would like to believe.
