BRADENTON, Fla. – Tyler Callihan seeks perfection in preparation, whether it’s working to keep his swing short to the ball or finding comfort in the field at second base, third base or the outfield.
“It’s huge for me,” Callihan said. “I try to prepare as much as I can before the game starts, so when I go out there, I can just play and be athletic, trust my abilities and know that I’m as prepared as I can be so I don’t doubt myself.”
Callihan couldn’t have prepared himself for the play that ended his 2025 season. In his fourth game with the Cincinnati Reds, just days after making his major league debut, he broke both bones in his left forearm when he crashed glove-first into a padded wall while attempting to make a catch in foul territory along the left field line at Truist Park in Atlanta.
#Reds Tyler Callihan nearly made an amazing play. Unfortunately, he left the game injured.
He appeared to break his arm on this play. pic.twitter.com/wfV1m2styF
— Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) May 6, 2025
The injury required three surgeries, including one to repair cartilage and ligament damage in his wrist, and left a long scar that looks similar to a zipper on both sides of his forearm.
“It might not look too great,” Callihan said, “but it feels great.”
New Pirate Tyler Callihan talks about the three surgeries on his fractured left forearm/wrist and practicing plays in the OF corner to prevent another collision. pic.twitter.com/XA3pLlEYd1
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) March 7, 2026
After recovering, it only made sense that Callihan wanted to work on perfecting that type of catch to avoid another catastrophic collision. He practiced it repeatedly during big league camp with the Reds in Goodyear, Ariz., before being dealt to the Pirates.
“I actually hammered it in BP for a while that we had some lefties flaring balls on the left field line,” Callihan said. “I was doing it over and over again, and it was been one of my main focal points throughout the spring, is to kind of track the ball: Look down, track the ball up and down, see my bearings. I’ve gotten significantly more comfortable, so that’s just an afterthought at this point. I don’t really think about it when I’m heading that way anymore.”
Callihan didn’t know what to think when he got word that the Pittsburgh Pirates had acquired him Wednesday in a trade that sent right-handed reliever Kyle Nicolas to the Cincinnati Reds. The 25-year-old Callihan was “shocked” yet looking forward to an opportunity with a new team.
“I know we’ve got an up-and-coming group and a chance to make an impact, so I’m excited,” Callihan said Friday morning at LECOM Park.
Callihan was in the midst of a good season last year before his April 30 debut with the Reds. He batted .303/.410/.528 with four doubles, two triples, four home runs and 12 RBIs in 24 games at Triple-A Louisville to earn a call-up to Cincinnati.
He went 1 for 6 in four games, recording his first hit with an RBI single May 3 against the Washington Nationals. Two days later, he tried to catch Matt Olson’s fly ball down the left field line with two outs in the third inning, only for it to pop out of his glove when he hit the wall and suffered the serious injury.
“It was unfortunate, for sure,” Callihan said. “There’s always a silver lining. My son (Crew) was born a couple weeks later, so I got to spend a lot of time with him, time I’ll never get back. Also, to step away from the game and understand that I’m more than baseball. I’m a father, I’m a son, I’m a brother, so all that’s very important to me. Baseball-related, I got time to step back and kind of appreciate being on the field. Not that I ever took it for granted before, but just now, it’s like every swing, I’m thankful to be here.”
The Pirates provide a chance for Callihan to show what he can do with his bat. He hit .276 with 11 doubles, nine home runs and 27 RBIs in 73 games split between Double-A Chattanooga and Louisville in 2024, when he also had 22 stolen bases and scored 32 runs.
The 5-foot-11, 205-pound Callihan, a 2019 third-round draft pick, was ranked No. 19 among Reds prospects by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. The Pirates value his versatility as much as adding another left-handed hitter to their roster.
“Can swing it, can play all over,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “We’re going to see him in multiple positions. Excited to get him into camp. He dealt with the injury last year, and just really excited. He’s healthy and ready to roll.”
Callihan said he leaned on his loved ones while dealing with the ups and downs of his recovery, which included surgery to have one of the plates removed his arm in November. Since then, Callihan said, his arm has been “astronomically better.”
The trade reunited Callihan with one of his former Jacksonville-area travel ball teammates in left-handed pitcher Hunter Barco, a top-100 prospect who is ranked No. 5 in the Pirates’ system. Callihan quickly acclimated himself to his new teammates in the clubhouse.
“I love it,” Callihan said. “They’re great guys. Great team. Seems like the staff’s great. Everybody’s working together well. Good environment so far, and seems like it’s going to be a good spring and a good season.”