Why teammate says 'no doubt' Hunter Greene returns from 2nd Tommy John

Tejay Antone wrote the book on multiple Tommy John surgeries.

No, for real.

The book is called The Tommy John Protocol: How to Rebuild Your Arm, Your Mind, and Your Faith. It published this year about the time Antone was pulling off an improbable big-league comeback from a third reconstructive elbow surgery.

You can count on one hand how many pitchers in history have done that.

So when the Cincinnati Reds reliever talks about longtime teammate Hunter Greene and the confidence in Greene’s ability to make a successful comeback from a second career Tommy John surgery, there might be nobody in baseball better qualified to weigh in.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll make it back,” said Antone, who reached out to Greene after Greene underwent the latest surgery Aug. 11.

“I just gave him my words of encouragement. I told him to read my book when he gets a chance, and I just told him, ‘If you have any questions or anything, I’m here as a resource for you,’ “ Antone said. “And I wished him the best of luck through this process. He thanked me and was excited to get at least started with the process.”

One of the reasons Antone is so confident in Greene’s comeback path is that attitude, that personality and character Antone has already seen over the past five years.

“I know Hunter really well. I’ve rehabbed with him before, and played with him for a long time,” Antone said. “He’s got the work ethic and the focus that he’s going to make it back.”

Another big reason is the nature of the second time around going through a process that typically requires 12 to 18 months of work to get back.

Almost counterintuitively, the been-there, done-that aspect of the second time around brings “more certainty” at the outset, Antone said, if not a small dose of peace of mind.

“The second time I feel like you still have the hope to make it back because you’ve done it before and have been successful, and you’ve made it back after the first one,” Antone said. “Obviously, you don’t want to get injured again. But you kind of know what to expect at that point.

“You feel a bit more certain about it. Like, I know what to expect going into this; I know what to expect within the first six weeks; I have my phases that I’ve done before. It just gives you a little bit more clarity through each phase.

“It doesn’t mean it’s going to be easier.”

Greene underwent his first Tommy John surgery as a Class-A player in 2019, less than two years after he was drafted second overall by the Reds as a Sports Illustrated prep-star cover kid.

Greene returned in 2021, pitching at Double-A and Triple-A, then made his big-league debut in 2022 – eventually earning a six-year, $53 million extension early in the 2023 season.

“There’s not a better competitor. There’s not a better guy on the pitching staff than him who exemplifies hard work,” teammate Andrew Abbott said. “I know that whatever he’s dealing with, he’s going to internalize it, and he’s going to use that fire to get healthier and come back and contribute in whatever fashion he can.”

Antone, who profiled as a classic fastball-slider power pitcher before his three elbow reconstructions, brought a new cutter into this third comeback that he throws about 5 mph slower than the four-seamer, and he relies most heavily on his slider these days after reinventing himself.

“I came back a little different pitcher,” Antone said. “I’m not saying he will. He may. He may not. I hope that his velo (sustains).

“As a professional athlete you have to learn how to adapt,” he added. “You have to adapt to survive. If he has to add another pitch or throw more two-seams or whatever it may be to pitch with what he’s got, he’ll be able to do that really well. He’s very smart.”

And the experience of going through it once before not only brings a potential confidence to the processes Greene will face but also a better sense of how to prepare for each phase, Antone said. 

“I definitely think there are some areas that it’s going to help him a lot having gone through it before,” Antone emphasized. 

“He’s got a great team around him,” Antone added. “He’s got people who are encouraging him, which is huge. That’s super important when you’re trying to come back, people that are on your side. The Reds have been great to me through the process, so I know they’re gonna be great to him.”

Specifically, rehab director Eric Gonzalez is “one of the best in the game,” Antone said.

“Hunter will make it back. A hundred percent. No doubt in my mind.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why teammate says 'no doubt' Hunter Greene returns from 2nd Tommy John