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.
