Riley Adams Fantasy Stats

The Washington Nationals announced they have designated catcher Riley Adams for assignment, a corresponding move for their claim of right-hander Gus Varland. Adams had been one of the longest-tenured Nationals, having been acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021 in exchange for left-handed reliever Brad Hand. Over five major league seasons, the 29-year-old has slashed .211/.287/.354 with 21 home runs in 849 plate appearances. While Adams has shown occasional power, his 79 wRC+ over that span indicates his offense has done more harm than good, particularly given that he grades out as a below-average defender. Washington further crowded its catching depth chart in December by acquiring Harry Ford from the Seattle Mariners in the Jos A. Ferrer trade. With Keibert Ruiz and Drew Millas already on the 40-man roster, Adams' designation seemed inevitable.

Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams (groin) is back behind the plate to catch left-hander MacKenzie Gore and will bat third on Thursday against the division-rival Miami Marlins and left-hander Ryan Weathers, who is making his return from the injured list. Adams took a foul tip off a sensitive area while catching in Tuesday's game against the Fish and left the game early, but he avoided a serious injury and is back in there after being rested on Wednesday. The 29-year-old backstop continues to serve as the team's primary catcher with Keibert Ruiz (concussion) still on the injured list. Adams has a career-high eight home runs and 24 RBI in his 71 games played in his fifth year in the big leagues (fourth with the Nats). Overall, he's batting just a hair over .200 but has slashed .239/.316/.380 with five long balls since taking over for Ruiz.

Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams (wrist) is back in the Grapefruit League lineup on Monday against the division-rival Miami Marlins, doing the catching and batting eighth. Adams was hit by a pitch recently in spring training, which resulted in a sore wrist and caused him to sit out for a few days, but he's back in there now and is ready to go. The 28-year-old will continue to compete in camp with Drew Millas to be the backup to Keibert Ruiz to open the 2025 regular season. After an encouraging 2023 campaign in which he had an .807 OPS in 158 plate appearances as a backup catcher, Adams had a .629 OPS with two home runs and eight RBI in only 41 games for the Nats last year while also spending more time in the minor leagues. Adams probably has the edge over Millas because he doesn't have minor-league options remaining, but he doesn't have much upside as a backup in D.C. because of the fact that he doesn't bring much to the table with his glove.

Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams (wrist) has been scratched ahead of Saturday's spring training contest. Adams was hit on the wrist by a pitch during Friday's game. He underwent X-rays were revealed a wrist contusion. That being said, Adams might need a few days of rest, but should be fine for the beginning of the season. He has slashed .224/.290/.377 with 11 home runs and 39 RBI across 133 combined games over the last three seasons with the Nationals. It's unlikely that Adams is going to be a reliable fantasy contributor.

Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez wants to ease catcher Keibert Ruiz in now that he's returned from a bad case of influenza that caused him to lose 18-20 pounds. It will also give the skipper the opportunity to keep catcher Riley Adams' bat in the lineup on a regular basis after he posted a .793 OPS when he caught 11 of the last 13 games with Ruiz out. "We're definitely going to use him," Martinez said. "One, let him catch. And two, we can also DH Keibert like we've done in the past and let him continue to catch. He's done a great job. He's learned a lot over the years. He's really coming into his own. It's good to have him, to watch him play and to watch him get better every day he's out there." As long as the 27-year-old continues to play several times a week, he'll be valuable in two-catcher fantasy leagues.

Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams (wrist), who broke the hamate bone in his left wrist in September of last year and needed surgery, has fully healed and said he doesn't have any lingering issues entering spring training. Before getting hurt, Adams was in the midst of a breakout in D.C., slashing .273/.331/.476 with four home runs, 21 RBI and eight runs scored in 44 games in his second full season with the team. Still, he won't have much fantasy appeal at all as long as starting catcher Keibert Ruiz remains healthy in 2024. The 27-year-old backup backstop should see most of his sparse playing time against left-handed pitching, with whom he produced a .960 OPS with three of his four long balls against in 2023.

Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams (hand) injured his left hand after fouling off a pitch on Wednesday against the New York Mets and had to leave mid-at-bat in the bottom of the eighth inning. X-rays came back inconclusive, so he will undergo an MRI exam on Thursday. Club officials are worried that Adams may have injured his hamate bone. If he suffered a fractured hamate bone, Adams would miss the rest of the season but would have more than enough time to recover for spring training next year. The 27-year-old hasn't been a fantasy asset in 2023 despite hitting .273 (39-for-143) in 44 games for the Nats. Adams has just four home runs, 21 RBI and eight runs scored in 158 plate appearances.

Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams (hand, wrist) was forced to leave Wednesday's game with a 1-2 count after fouling a ball off. Adams hurt his left hand or wrist and couldn't continue. He's been a solid contributor in a part-time role for the Nats but doesn't offer any fantasy value. Nonetheless, hopefully everything checks out fine for Adams and he's not forced to miss time.

Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams had the best game of his career at the plate Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, three RBI, and three runs scored. It's only the second home run of the rookie's career in 51 at-bats. Adams is not getting the full complement of starts behind the plate, keeping him from being a consideration in even the deepest two-catcher leagues. Even if he were to receive more regular playing time, he'd need to improve his .640 OPS to be worth an add.

Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams played the hero in just his second start with the team Saturday, hitting a go-ahead two-run home run with Washington down to it's last out against the Atlanta Braves and closer Will Smith. It was Adams' only hit in three at-bats, and he also drew a walk. Adams is no top prospect, but he does figure to see some time behind the plate for the rest of the year. With no stand-out offensive skill, he does not figure to be a contributor for fantasy this year or next, but there's always the chance that he'll continue to develop at the major league level.