The most notable sight for anyone entering the Cincinnati Reds clubhouse on Wednesday was surely Tyler Callihan.
Callihan on May 5 was forced out of a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Five days after his MLB debut, Callihan suffered multiple fractures in his left forearm on a play Reds pitcher Brady Singer called “gruesome to watch,” crashing into the wall in foul territory, glove first, at full speed after what looked like a catch.
Forty-four days later, Callihan was situated at a locker room stall at Great American Ball Park. Glove in-hand, he later jogged toward the tunnel that leads toward the Reds’ dugout.
Reds manager Terry Francona called Callihan’s return to the field “amazing.” Francona also cautioned the recovery process is ongoing.
“There’s some other things that he’s gonna work through,” Francona said. “We’ll get to that, I think, here in the near future but he’s got some decisions to make on how to go with this, so when the time’s right, we’ll talk about it.”
Graham Ashcraft ‘says he’s already feeling a little better’
Francona elaborated on Graham Ashcraft’s right groin strain situation during his Wednesday meeting with reporters. Ashcraft on Tuesday was put on the 15-day injured list due to the ailment.
Francona said Wednesday Ashcraft was unsure of how the injury happened, and that it may have been a persistent, nagging one. The first-year Reds manager also added that Ashcraft, who transitioned to a high-leverage relief role this season, is feeling better.
“He said he’d been feeling it for a little while but then he’d pitch, next day he’d be fine,” Francona said. “This time in Detroit (Sunday), he felt it a little more but still felt like he (was OK). And then when he got through the day off (Monday) and still felt it, that’s when he came in here, so we went and got it looked at.
“He says he’s already feeling a little better today. I think sometimes, the hope is when guys are trying to compete, when you pull the plug on that part of it and their brain relaxes a little bit, maybe it helps everything.”
Austin Hays’ outlook looking up?
Austin Hays might be on the mend and finally tracking toward a return from his third IL stint in 2025.
Hays’ anticipated return last week was scuttled and pushed back due to persistent pain. The pain led to a second MRI on his injured left foot Wednesday, June 11.
Hays expected to rejoin the lineup during last week’s series win in Cleveland, but after continuing to experience pain during a series of pregame running drills Tuesday, the decision was made to get more testing Wednesday.
Hays reported back to the Reds Tuesday, June 17 after an off day, and felt really good, Francona said.
“We’re gonna have him run in the water and hopefully do some baseball activities, but not necessarily go straight into sprinting yet,” Francona said. “Gonna give him a day just because he went from the weekend where he wasn’t doing anything. So far, the returns are good.”
Hays is on the IL for the third time this season, all for things related to the left leg. In between IL stints, he’s hitting .303 with six home runs, 25 RBIs and a .901 OPS in 31 games.