Thursday night at PNC Park, Nick Gonzales opened the third of a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs batting seventh and playing third base. He flied out to center in his first at-bat of the game, and had a quiet three innings over on the hot corner.
But Gonzales, who was dealing with left knee discomfort stemming from a foul ball the day before, was taken out of the game in the fourth inning. In came Tyler Callihan, an infielder who was recalled just hours prior to help shore up the depth following a forearm strain to shortstop Konnor Griffin.
If you don’t know who this seemingly random man who has since appeared in three straight games for the Pirates is, I don’t blame you. He’s flown pretty under the radar this season in Pittsburgh’s system.
The Pirates acquired Callihan in a trade with the Cincinnari Reds back in early March. The Pirates had sent the skilled but inconsistent right-handed reliever Kyle Nicolas to their NL Divisional rival in exchange for Callihan, who provided some versatility on the field. Ironically, Nicolas was designated for assignment by the Reds on Saturday.
Callihan was ranked No. 19 in Cincinnati’s system according to MLB Pipeline at the time of the trade. Following a 24-game stint with Triple-A Louisville where he slashed .303/.410/.528 (.938 OPS), he was promoted to Cincinnati to make his major league debut with the Reds. Right now, the former third-round pick rated 29th in Pittsburgh’s Top 30.
He appeared in four games in the bigs before suffering a horrific season-ending injury in early May. While tracking a ball in left field, his momentum carried him too far and sent him crashing into the outfield wall, where he fractured multiple bones in his forearm.
Callihan underwent multiple surgeries to get him back into game shape, which gave him two scars on each side of his left forearm, and a third lower on his wrist. He worked through a lengthy recovery time to get back to competing in time for 2026. But during spring training, the Reds moved him one state over in a swap with some risk for both sides involved.
When Griffin was diagnosed with that forearm strain, it put the roster in a difficult position. While the rookie phenom dealing with a minor issue, the 20-year-old wasn’t hindered enough to require a stint on the Injured List. Griffin is good to hit, good to run, good to steal, and good to slide. But the one thing the Pirates wanted to pump the breaks on with Griffin is throwing the ball.
That restricts him to playing as a very young designated hitter. It also meant the Pirates needed some backup in the infield, which made for the difficult decision to option 22-year-old outfielder and power hitter Esmerlyn Valdez back to Triple-A and bring up the utility man in Callihan.
Callihan wasn’t brought up to see a ton of time in the lineup. In 49 games for Triple-A Indianapolis, he slashed a measly .223/.305/.346 (.651 OPS) with five home runs and 16 RBI.
He also suffered some defensive lapses at both second and third base, two of the spots he would likely take over in Pittsburgh if needed. He was recalled mostly for depth, in the event an injury or emergency forced him into the lineup.
But baseball has a funny way of putting new figures in the spotlight. Since his promotion to Pittsburgh, Callihan has appeared in three consecutive games via three different ways.
Though he drew a walk in his first plate appearance with the Pirates, it was a bit of a rocky start for the 25-year-old. In the sixth inning, Callihan suffered a throwing error on an attempted throw to Spencer Horwitz at first base. That allowed the Cubs to have two runners on, and after his fellow left-side infielder Jared Triolo made an error the following at-bat, Chicago cashed in for a run.
He did his best to make up for it in the bottom half of that inning. After Bryan Reynolds launched a solo homer and with Jhostynxon Garcia on base, Callihan drilled a rare lefty hit off Hoby Milner out to center field for an RBI double.
“That was great,” Callihan told Pittsburgh Baseball Now after the game. “Happy to help the team and very excited to be out here and do what I can to help them.”
That made it a one run game, but unfortunately the game quickly tumbled out of control for the Pirates. Three runs for Chicago in the eighth and another in the ninth gave the Cubs a 7-2 win. Callihan grounded out to second base in the eighth.
The following day, as Pittsburgh turned attention to Minnesota and their former manager Derek Shelton, the Pirates found themselves in a one-run game in the ninth. After Horwitz singled to lead off the bottom of the ninth, manager Don Kelly opted to have Callihan pinch run for Horwitz on first.
Using a pinch runner for Horwitz late in the game is somewhat of a Kelly staple, but that role was usually reserved for utility man Billy Cook. Nearly half of Cook’s 32 appearances on the season started as a pinch runner. With Cook in Triple-A, that role fell to Callihan.
In the end, he really didn’t have to do much, getting an on-field look as Reynolds knocked a walk-off home run to score both Callihan and himself for a 6-5 win.
Then on Saturday, Callihan somehow appeared in a third straight game, this time coming in as a replacement for Brandon Lowe after the second baseman was ejected in the fourth inning.
After Minnesota clawed back from a 7-1 deficit to tie the game, Lowe was at the plate to open the bottom of the fourth. Lowe wanted to challenge a pitch that appeared to be low, but the umpire refused to allow him. That prompted Kelly to come out for a spirited discussion near home plate.
Three pitches later, Lowe flew out to left, and allegedly said something to the first base umpire before he was thrown out of the game. It was Lowe’s first-ever ejection in the major leagues. Kelly, as you could imagine, came back out for another discussion.
But regardless, Lowe was out, and with limited infielding options, Callihan was back out for a third game in a row, taking over the second base spot.
In the sixth inning, Callihan flew out to center field in a scoreless inning for the Pirates. In the seventh, however, he was able to work a seven-pitch walk to load the bases with Buccos. Reynolds would bring one in to eventually give Pittsburgh a 10-7 lead. Callihan also assisted on the final out in the eighth, handling a sharp groundout to kill Minnesota’s momentum and stall their comeback one run short.
Through three games, Callihan is 1-for-3 with a pair of walks and an RBI. It might be the start of a contributive career in Pittsburgh, or a great Immaculate Grid name several years from now. But I don’t think anybody, even Callihan himself, thought he’d get into his first three games here.
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