The Pittsburgh Pirates will soon get a closer look at what they received in exchange for reliever Kyle Nicolas.
Tyler Callihan, a 25-year-old infielder/outfielder whom the Cincinnati Reds shipped to Pittsburgh in exchange for Nicolas in early March, was recalled by the Pirates from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday evening.
Callihan’s call-up comes as rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin deals with right forearm soreness, a source told TribLive. Griffin remains available but was not in the starting lineup when the Pirates hosted the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. Callihan was promoted to add infield depth.
In a corresponding transaction, the Pirates optioned outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez back to Triple-A.
Callihan, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Pirates’ No. 29 prospect, made his big-league debut for the Reds in 2025, appearing in four games.
At the time of his recall Thursday, he’d appeared in 49 games for Indianapolis, slashing .223/.305/.346 with five home runs and 16 RBIs.
Defensively, the Indians have utilized him at second base (10 starts), third base (19), left field (16) and right field (1).
A third-round pick by the Reds in the 2019 MLB Draft, Callihan has played in 445 career minor-league games, with an overall batting average of .258.
Valdez, the Pirates’ No. 9 prospect, made his MLB debut on May 22.
Through his first five big-league games, he was hitting .125. Both of his hits so far had been home runs.