Tyler Callihan’s broken arm overshadows Reds near no-hit loss to Braves

Atlanta defeated Cincinnati in the series opener.

Tyler Callihan was called up to the big leagues for the first time on Wednesday, the former 3rd round pick of the Cincinnati Reds finally playing good, healthy ball for the longest stretch of his professional career.

The effort from him was clear from his first time on the field, and that effort couldn’t have been more on display on Monday when he made what appeared to be a dazzling, diving catch in the LF corner in the series opener against the Atlanta Braves. In a terrible series of events, though, a split second later he smashed into the wall, the ball popped out, Matt Olson rounded the bases for what was deemed an inside-the-park homer, and Callihan was in tremendous pain in a heap in the field’s corner.

The replay, which I’ll urge you not to watch, showed his left arm bent in a horribly unnatural way. He exited the game with trainers immediately, and the obvious was later confirmed:

He’d broken his forearm.

Mark Sheldon of MLB.com relayed that unfortunate news.

What originally looked to be the kind of pick-me-up defensive play that could ignite the Reds from their two-series slump turned sour instantly. The incredible catch became a 2-run homer, and the Reds looked shell-shocked from that point forward.

Braves starter AJ Smith-Shawver took a no-hitter into the 8th inning, in fact, and the Braves eventually held the Reds scoreless in a one-hitter finished off by Enyel De Los Santos.

The first game of the series went to Atlanta by the score of 4-0, but that was hardly the most impactful news on the night. Callihan will land on the injured list, with the likelihood that either Atlanta native Will Benson or the powerful Rece Hinds are recalled from AAA to round out the roster.