The Pittsburgh Pirates recently made a notable move, acquiring utility prospect Tyler Callihan from the Cincinnati Reds. In return, the Bucs sent right-handed reliever Kyle Nicolas to Cincy. With Callihan already appearing in the major leagues in 2025, he’ll definitely play a role with the Pirates in 2026. The question then becomes: what sort of role can we expect Callihan to play?
Pirates Looking to Fit Tyler Callihan Into the Equation
A Strong Start to 2025, and an Unlucky End
Callihan started the year at Triple-A, where he was phenomenal. His first 106 plate appearances yielded a .303/.410/.528 triple-slash, and four home runs. Although he struck out in over a quarter of his plate appearances, with a 27.4% strikeout percentage, Callihan offset that with an outstanding 15.1% walk rate. He also went six-for-seven in stolen base attempts. That earned him a call to the major leagues.
Unfortunately, his first look at the big league level did not last very long. During just his fourth game with the Reds on May 5th, Callihan nearly made an impressive catch in left field, but ran hard into the wall down the foul line. He suffered a left forearm fracture and then underwent a follow-up wrist surgery in July. He did not play a single game after this injury. However, he is back in action in spring training.
Matt Olson circles the bases, but Reds rookie Tyler Callihan was in some serious pain trying to make the play. Prayers up 🙏 pic.twitter.com/UhcyaJuadG
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 6, 2025
2025 was just yet another run of poor luck for Callihan. In 2021, he had Tommy John surgery. He was limited because of a thumb injury from a car accident. Then in 2024, Callihan broke another finger, this time while attempting to bunt. 2023 remains the only season he has appeared in 100+ games. He was a third-round pick in 2019 by the Reds.
Prior to the trade, Callihan ranked as the Reds’ 19th-best prospect by Baseball America. He is a well-rounded prospect. While he has no obvious carrying tool, he does everything at a 45 to 50-grade level. When healthy, he is a potential power/speed threat, receiving a 50-grade for both tools by BA. Callihan’s arm strength can play anywhere on the field. Although he isn’t an outstanding defender, he can play multiple positions without costing runs in the field. Callihan has experience all over the diamond. His primary position is second base. However, he can also play both third and first base, along with left field.
New Pirate Tyler Callihan talks about the three surgeries on his fractured left forearm/wrist and practicing plays in the OF corner to prevent another collision. pic.twitter.com/XA3pLlEYd1
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) March 7, 2026
Callihan’s Role with the 2026 Pirates
Callihan could serve as a depth piece for the Pirates this year. As of right now, he’d have a hard time breaking the Pirates’ bench. Nick Yorke, Jhostynxon Garcia (especially with his strong spring training), Jake Mangum, and one of their many catchers take up the current bench. That could get even more crowded if the Pirates start the year with Konnor Griffin in the major leagues. Nick Gonzales will also be in the bench mix if that happens.
However, he does bring something many of the Pirates’ utility bats don’t, and that’s hitting left-handed. Gonzales and Yorke are both right-handed. So is Jared Triolo. The only other lefty utility man the Pirates have is Enmanuel Valdez. While Valdez is also a 1B/2B/3B option, he has far less experience in the outfield corners compared to Callihan.
Callihan may start the year at Triple-A Indianapolis, but he will likely be the Pirates’ first call if they need a bench bat or another left-handed hitter. He brings some left-handed pop off the bench, which the Pirates did not have before the trade. The fact that he can provide depth at multiple positions only makes him a more valuable piece for the Bucs.
Main Photo Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
