Yes they can!
The list of Starfleet Commanderslist of Starfleet Commanders shows that we do have some officers who are in Operations but have the rank of 'Commander'. Those mentioned on that list in the TNG era are:
- Commander HarkinsCommander Harkins, the head of the Pathfinder Project in Voyager
- Commander KaplanCommander Kaplan, the chief engineer of the USS Intrepid in 2370
Others from pre-TNG era include:
- Commander BeachCommander Beach
- Commander ChekovCommander Chekov
- Commander KelbyCommander Kelby
- Commander KyleCommander Kyle
- Commander ScottCommander Scott
- Commander TuckerCommander Tucker
- Commander UhuraCommander Uhura
- Commander YacobianCommander Yacobian
Going through that list I must confess that the majority of Commanders were in the Command or Sciences divisions and far fewer were in Operations, but officers in the Operations Division can definitely be promoted to Commander and remain in Operations.