Tyler Callihan’s recall from Triple-A Indianapolis to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday was done out of an abundance of caution and for depth purposes.
When shortstop Konnor Griffin, now on the injured list, became limited with a forearm strain, Callihan was called up to offer an option at multiple infield positions as the Pirates shuffled the deck defensively.
Any possibility of a breezy arrival in Pittsburgh for Callihan was then shattered when third baseman Nick Gonzales departed the Pirates’ contest against the Cubs with a quad injury.
Callihan, less than an hour after landing at Pittsburgh International Airport, was thrust into action in place of Gonzales.
“I arrived here at 6:55 (p.m.), 10 or 15 minutes after first pitch,” Callihan said. “I was rolling in with all the fans out there, walking with all my bags, and then I just threw on all my stuff, hit the foam roller for five minutes, took 10 swings in the cage, threw a few (plyometric) balls and then, out to the field.”
Callihan, a 25-year-old utilityman acquired by the Pirates in a March trade with Cincinnati for reliever Kyle Nicolas, didn’t make the strongest first impression.
In the sixth inning, he committed a throwing error that contributed to Chicago scoring a run.
However, Callihan quickly atoned for that mishap in the batter’s box, as he secured his first big-league RBI in the bottom of the sixth, ripping a double to cut the Cubs’ lead to 3-2.
Tyler Callihan hits an RBI double in his first game with the Pirates!!
LET'S. GO.
95.5 MPH exit velocity, .210 xBA pic.twitter.com/p2ml1cxawl
— Platinum Key (@PlatinumKey13) May 29, 2026
Ultimately, both the error and RBI mattered little, as Chicago cruised to a 7-2 victory.
But Callihan, who made his MLB debut with the Reds in 2025, playing in four total games, demonstrated value in his first Pirates appearance.
Since then, whenever manager Don Kelly has called for him, Callihan has continued to make a subtle impact.
Kelly put him in the game in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday, with the Pirates at risk of dropping their series opener to the Twins.
Callihan replaced Spencer Horwitz, who’d singled, on first base as a pinch-runner and likely would have been entrusted to steal second base had Bryan Reynolds not called game and won it for the Pirates with a walk-off homer.
On Saturday, for the third straight day, Kelly called Callihan’s number.
Like his Pirates debut, it came in unorthodox fashion, as second baseman Brandon Lowe was abruptly ejected in the top of the fifth inning by first base umpire Jordan Baker, stemming from a disagreement Lowe had with home plate umpire Alex Tosi about an unawarded ABS challenge.
So in Callihan went, drawing a walk in the sixth inning and making a nice backhanded play on a sharply hit Kody Clemens grounder in the eighth that went for the frame’s final out.
“Just staying ready (and) being hot and as fresh as I can mentally and physically,” Callihan said.
With Indianapolis, Callihan was enjoying a modest season in terms of productivity prior to being recalled.
Offensively, he had slashed .223/.305/.346 with five home runs and 16 RBIs over 49 games.
Defensively, he’d been deployed at third base (19 starts), left field (16), second base (10) and right field (one).
So far with the Pirates, Callihan has played five innings at second base and six at third.
Callihan’s stay on the big-league roster will likely not be elongated, with Griffin’s time on the injured list not expected to last beyond 10 days.
However long he remains with the Pirates, Callihan has demonstrated a commendable readiness and adaptability to serve whatever purpose the club requires of him.
“Happy to help the team and very excited to be out here and do what I can to help them,” Callihan said.