The Pittsburgh Pirates traded for infielder/outfielder Tyler Callihan with National League Central division rivals, the Cincinnati Reds. In exchange for Callihan the Pirates sent pitcher Kyle Nicolas to the Reds.
Callihan was the Red’s No.19 ranked prospect and could immediately become a depth piece for the Pirates in both the outfield and the infield. The 25-year-old prospect began last season with triple-a affiliate of the Reds, the Louisville Bats. Callihan was off to a hot start in triple-a and was promoted to Cincinnati on April 30, seeing time at both second base and left field.
On May 3 Callihan recorded his first hit in an MLB contest against the Washington Nationals. Despite the promise that he showed Callihan would suffer a season ending injury on May 5 after colliding with an outfield wall and fracturing his left forearm. Unfortunately for Callihan injuries have plagued his career to this point. Cincinnati drafted him in the third round of the 2019 MLB draft, but he had a season taken away because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Tommy John surgery in 2021 and was inactive because of a hand injury in 2024.
With Cincinnati in Spring Training Callihan did seem to come back firing on all cylinders. In seven games with the Reds this Spring Callihan had one homer, one double, a walk and scored two runs. His bat has always been highly touted and good be a strong point in a platoon situation.
Pittsburgh was looking to add another piece to their outfield this offseason and Callihan could be a great piece. The more Callihan can see time in the outfield gives more time for Ryan O’Hearn to serve as a designated hitter and keep him fresh for a potential playoff push. If Callihan joins Pittsburgh following Spring Training he could be one of the best bats off the bench.
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