Tejay Antone Is Still Writing His Own Story

Tejay Antone was prepared to hang up his cleats.

After his Tommy John surgery in 2021, countless hours of injury rehab and recovery were put in to claw his way back to the Cincinnati Reds in 2023. While he accomplished the comeback that season, 2024 was a chance to cement his spot as a contributor for the Reds' pitching staff for years to come. In his first three games of that season, it looked like that was a real possibility.

But on April 7th against the Mets, Antone threw just one pitch before tearing a flexor tendon and UCL ligament in his throwing arm. He immediately showed discomfort, called to the athletic trainer in the dugout, and exited the game within a matter of minutes. He was back to square one.

“I knew right off the bat, I had torn something just based on how I was feeling and kind of the pop and everything,” Antone said. “I went to the locker room, just cried a lot. It was just a very emotional time for me, and it wasn't fun at all.”

Although potentially career-threatening, Antone’s injury wasn’t uncommon at that point, and a path to return was possible through proper recovery. Coming back to pitch in the Majors from one UCL procedure, more commonly known as Tommy John surgery, is a difficult feat, but many pitchers have been able to do so and pitch at a high level. Twice? Much more rare, but still achievable.

But Antone would have to do something many would deem impossible: recover from a third surgery and find his way back to pitch in the Majors.

“I went home that night and told my wife, like, ‘I think I plan on retiring,’” Antone said. “‘I think that's it for me.’ I just didn't want to go through the rehab again. I didn't want to have surgery. The rehab is pretty grueling, and it just sucks.”

At age 23, Antone had his first Tommy John procedure in 2017 after appearing in his first game with the Louisville Bats in 2016. His second procedure cut his 2021 season short after he was enjoying a breakout year in his first full season with the Reds.

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Even though Antone was practically set on passing up the surgery, some slight encouragement from his wife, Kelsi, led him to get an MRI from Dr. Tim Kremchek, the Reds team doctor who had performed his previous two surgeries. That encouragement resulted in some good news.

“Dr. Kremchek was just very optimistic about the situation,” Antone said. “He said the injury was a good injury, which is hilarious to think about. He also said, ‘Once you start throwing, if you don't want to play anymore, if it hurts when you're throwing, then by all means, you can make that decision down the road.’ But he just suggested that I go ahead and get the surgery, and then make the decision when I was less emotional about it.”

On April 12, 2024, Antone had surgery to repair his UCL once more and began rehab not long after. By the end of the year, he was back to throwing.

His story became recognizable across the baseball world as he began his comeback journey, aiming for the summer of 2025. Others who were going through similar injuries took notice and came to him with questions.

“A lot of kids reach out to me on Instagram, and they ask, ‘What can I do?’” he said. “‘What are some tips and tricks, or what supplements do I take? What exercises do I do?’ I just realized that, anytime I try to send them a response, it is so much more than just an Instagram response. I couldn't get all the information I wanted to give them.”

As Antone neared his return to game action, the idea of writing a book to share his experience crossed his mind. Writing is not his forte by any means; he actually failed his fourth-grade reading test. Still, he couldn’t help but try to summarize his advice for an all-encompassing answer for those reaching out.

Despite no experience, he elected to give it a shot. Little by little, it came together. Titled The Tommy John Protocol, the part-autobiography, part-instructional piece is set to release this summer.

“I think there's a lot to learn from the autobiography side when you read it,” he said. “I didn't want to make it about myself. But I think my story has lessons in it that people can learn from. Also, the technical side is just needed whenever you're trying to explain something like that.”

While many hours went into the book, his focus was still baseball. Antone made his return with High-A Dayton at the beginning of August 2025. A month later, he finished with the Bats, appearing in six games at the close of the regular season.

On top of his already busy schedule with recovery and drafting his book during the offseason, Tejay and Kelsi also welcomed their first children, twin boys Niko and Kai, in November 2025. In that same month, Antone signed back with the Reds after his previous contract expired, landing a minor league deal for the next season.

“I wanted to sign back with the Reds,” he said. “I've known the Reds since 2014. They’re the only organization I know, and they have been very supportive through all three of my surgeries. I understand that this is a business, and there are 29 other teams out there that I could help and get back to the big leagues. But I had to make the best decision for myself.”

Having already written about making the Reds out of Spring Training, Antone had to revise the ending of his book to include his current stint with Louisville. Nevertheless, he has been nothing short of incredible, appearing in six games and not allowing a hit while striking out nine through 6.2 innings. He was credited with the win out of the bullpen on March 28 against Omaha, marking his first professional win since 2021 with the Reds. His performance has earned the respect of one of the game’s staple figures, Louisville manager Pat Kelly.

“I think it's a tremendous credit to his perseverance,” Kelly said. “You don't hear guys coming back from the third time. They end their careers and go back to take care of their family. So to me, it's a great accomplishment. It just shows this game is all about perseverance anyway. It's great to see him come back like this and to come back with quality stuff.”

In a little over a year, Antone had experienced the worst while going through his third Tommy John surgery, which took him away from the game he loved. But through roadblocks, a contract negotiation, stepping out of his comfort zone to write a book, and becoming a father, he persevered with one positive lesson in mind: servant leadership.

“What servant leadership is all about, and what true love is, is loving your neighbor, putting them in front of yourself,” he said. “ When you're making the people around you better, it also makes you better, which then multiplies how well you can make the people around you better, and it just keeps going. If I could sum up, that's what I’ve learned over the last few years. ”

Antone is hoping for a new ending to his book, a meeting with Kelly to tell him about a promotion back to the Reds. Until then, Antone will be in the Bats' bullpen, working hard on refining his craft while also staying humble in the lessons that carried him through adversity.