This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon's Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
CINCINNATI – Nearly nine months and three surgeries after one of the more gruesome on-field injuries in baseball last season, Reds infielder/outfielder Tyler Callihan is ready to begin battling for a roster spot at Spring Training next month.
“I feel great right now. I feel grateful to be back, and I’m excited to get back into competition," Callihan said during Redsfest on Saturday.
"It was definitely a long road with a lot of ups and downs. But I think it’s all ups from here. I’ve been hitting BP for about a week now, and I’ve done other practice leading up to it. I should be 100% by spring.”
COMPLETE REDS PROSPECT COVERAGE
On May 5 in Atlanta – only four games into his big league career after being promoted from Triple-A Louisville on April 30 – Callihan broke both bones in his left forearm.
Callihan was in a full sprint trying to catch Matt Olson’s opposite-field drive to the left-field corner. He initially made the catch, but his momentum took him hard into the side wall in foul territory. The ball came out of Callihan’s glove, and Olson had an inside-the-park home run while Callihan was on the ground in agony.
After having his arm set and put into a splint, Callihan flew to Cincinnati the next day for surgery. Doctors inserted metal plates and 12 screws on both sides of his forearm.
In July, Callihan underwent his second operation to repair torn cartilage and ligaments on the outside of his left wrist.
“When the initial thing happened, for quality of life, you just need to fix what’s going on, because that’s a big deal," said Callihan, who is ranked by MLB Pipeline as Cincinnati's No. 19 prospect. "Then we found out about the wrist. At that point, it was season-ending to have that wrist surgery.”
Two months into Callihan’s rehab, the plate on the ulna bone – the pinkie side of his arm – didn't feel right during strengthening exercises and while trying to hit. So doctors decided to take that plate out while leaving the other in place permanently.
“It has felt astronomically better. I feel back to brand new. When I hit now, it feels like nothing happened," Callihan said.
Callihan, 25, now sports two long scars on each side of his left forearm and another scar on his wrist.
“I get asked about it all the time, but I don’t mind talking about it at all because it’s part of my story," Callihan said. "It was a step I had to take."
A third-round Draft pick by the Reds in 2019, Callihan batted .303 with a .938 OPS and four home runs in 24 games with Louisville before his callup. On May 3 vs. the Nationals, he notched his first Major League hit and RBI with a second-inning single.
The next game vs. the Braves would be his final one of 2025. But Callihan didn't feel frustrated by the misfortune he experienced. He heard from teammates and fans and received well wishes all summer.
“It sounds cliché, but I felt super grateful to have the opportunity," Callihan said. "I don’t know if it was internally or if it was from all the support I received throughout it. It actually made a difference. I obviously never experienced that before, and you see guys talk about it – ‘Thank you for the support. Thank you for the love.’ It actually makes a huge difference when you see everybody rooting for you.”
Primarily a left fielder and second baseman, the left-handed-hitting Callihan will be in camp looking to make the team at any spot available. At workouts near his home in Jacksonville, Fla., he has been taking reps at second, third and first base and both corner outfield positions.
Manager Terry Francona doesn't plan to push Callihan too hard, at least initially.
“He’s not behind, but I think we’re going to have to watch his workload just because he’s been out," Francona said. "I saw him hit, and he looked good. But there’s a difference when you get to Spring Training. The workload, the intensity of it all. So we just need to keep an eye on him.”
Callihan doesn't plan to change how hard he plays, but there might be one modification.
“I’ll try to approach it smarter, for sure. Maybe bring my arm in a little quicker [next] time, try to get my back on the wall," Callihan said. “I understand the maturity of needing to be on the field and being smart about situations like that, for sure. However, I’m not going to let that take away from any of my intent. It’s just never been who I am. It’s not how I got here.”