GOODYEAR, Ariz. — At 7:30 every morning at the Cincinnati Reds complex in Goodyear, the sun isn’t even halfway up yet. Most of the fields are empty. A lot of players are still strolling in for the day.
Then, there’s Eugenio Suárez working at the crack of dawn in the infield with a few Reds coaches.
Suárez is learning first base this spring. The most established, experienced and highly-paid position player on the team sets the tone by going through a full set of first base drills very early in the morning.
He’s the first player on the field every day.
“I’m the guy who likes work,” Suárez said. “I want to be better at first base. I know they’re going to need me there. I want to be the best first baseman in the league. I’ve been working hard. I’m very excited for that challenge. I come out early, work on my footwork and my picks and get ready to help the other infielders.”
“When I’m there (at first base), I want (the other infielders) to be able to make the throw however they want. I want them to be comfortable that I’m going to (scoop) their throw.”
He hasn’t yet, but Suárez said that he’s going to call Joey Votto at some point for advice about playing first base.
Tyler Callihan fully cleared, full-go
Around Cincinnati, Callihan is known as the guy who shattered his arm while making a diving catch in his first week in the big leagues. He was getting his chance to play a real role on the Reds in early May last season, crashed into the left field wall and caught the ball — until his arm snapping led to the ball falling out of his glove.
He wasn’t a guy who received a ton of buzz on prospects lists. The injury was his introduction to a lot of people.
“It’s not the way I wanted people to learn my story,” Callihan said. “But it’s who I am and how I play.”
Following Callihan’s injury, a lot of people who weren’t as familiar with him learned a lot more about his story.
In 2020, Callihan didn’t get to play because of the pandemic.
In 2021, he strained his elbow underwent Tommy John surgery.
In 2022, on the day that he officially returned from Tommy John surgery, he got into a car wreck and tore the UCL of his thumb. He was back on the injured list.
Callihan had a healthy 2023. In 2024, he broke his finger trying to bunt and missed two months.
Then in May of 2025, he crushed his forearm against the left field wall in Atlanta. Officially, he broke two bones in his forearm and tore his wrist.
It still means a lot to him how much support he received immediately after the injury. He got a lot of messages, and he saw a lot of positive comments on social media.
“When you get out of surgery and you see the support, my phone was blowing up,” Callihan said. “Fans were messaging me saying we’re with you. It lifted my sprits up a ton.”
Callihan, who’s competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster, was good enough to earn a chance to show what he could do with regular playing time last May. Entering 2025, he was ranked as the No. 19 prospect in the system. The Reds also added him to the 40-man roster before last season to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
Terry Francona calls Callihan an “interesting guy.” It’s a useful skill set as a left-handed hitter with a sneaky pop who can play almost anywhere. This spring, he’s focusing on second base and left field.
“I wasn’t worried about his toughness,” Francona said. “I was worried he’d start the year late or behind the eight ball. Losing that much developmental time for a young guy is huge. He got out here early. Every week, it seems like he crossed a mental hurdle.”
It helps that Callihan has been through this process before. He missed a full year following Tommy John surgery, so he knows what he has to do to get back in a rhythm coming back from a major injury.
“I’ll be open and honest about how I’m doing,” Callihan said. “Getting reps is the biggest thing. Getting those at-bats. I have no doubt that I’m one swing away from being back to where I was.”
The Chase Burns hype train has taken off
Andrew Abbott said about Burns, “He has the stuff to be an ace. He has the stuff to be a No. 1 no matter what team he’s on.”
Burns is one of the most talented young arms in baseball, and he’s off to a great start in camp. He threw a two inning live batting practice session against hitters on Monday. The fastball was zooming. The breaking ball was spinning. The changeup is very much improved.
What stood out the most was how competitive Burns was. He wanted to dominate this live batting practice session.
And he did.
Copyright 2026 WXIX. All rights reserved.