Older Brother of Ohio State Football Star Called Up to MLB

Six months after his brother was named the MVP of the Rose Bowl, Canaan Smith-Njigba has his own athletic feat to call home about: he’s going to The Show.

Smith-Njigba, the older brother of star Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, is getting called up by the Pirates for the first time in his career. Smith-Njigba is an outfielder and was hitting .277/.387/.408 in 52 games at Triple-A this season.

His younger brother took to Twitter to express his excitement about the news:

A fourth-round pick by the Yankees in 2017, Smith-Njigba was traded to Pittsburgh as part of the Jameson Taillon deal in 2019. Now 23, he owns a career .801 OPS in the minors, with 26 home runs and 42 stolen bases in 351 games.

His brother, Jaxon, emerged from a wide receivers room loaded with talent in Columbus as the Buckeyes’ next star. He finished the 2021 season with 1,606 yards on 95 catches with nine touchdowns, ranking second nationally with 123.5 yards per game. While he was stellar all season, his real coming out party was in the Rose Bowl, where he hauled in 15 catches for 347 yards—the most ever in a bowl game—and three touchdowns.

The Pirates will face the Cardinals tonight in St. Louis at Busch Stadium.