The Boston Red Sox have signed catcher Riley Adams to a minor league deal, adding power hitting depth behind Adley Rutschman as the offseason begins, according to a report by WHDH reporter Ari Alexander.
With Connor Wong and Mickey Gasper already on the 40-man roster, the move raises a fresh question about who actually backs up Rutschman in 2027.
“Adams has 263 games of MLB experience, mostly with the Nationals from 2021-25,” Alexander wrote. The Ballengee Group client projects as a non-roster player in major league camp, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
Born June 26, 1996, in Encinitas, California, Adams bats and throws right-handed, is 6-foot-4 and weighs 263 pounds, according to Baseball-Reference‘s player profile. The Chicago Cubs drafted him in the 37th round in 2014 out of Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego, but he played college ball at the University of San Diego instead.
The Toronto Blue Jays drafted him in the third round in 2017.
Riley Adams’ Career With Washington Nationals
Adams debuted June 8, 2021, with Toronto and finished that season in Washington, where he spent the bulk of his career. Across parts of five seasons and 263 games, he owns a .211/.287/.354 line with 21 home runs and 73 RBI. MLB Trade Rumors notes a 32.5% strikeout rate over that stretch.
His best season came in 2023, when he hit .273/.331/.476 with four home runs and 21 RBI in 44 games. Washington gave him a career-high 83 games in 2025, and he hit .186/.252/.308 with eight homers. Adams’s average bat speed ranked fourth among major leaguers that year, trailing only Giancarlo Stanton, Oneil Cruz and Junior Caminero, according to NBC Sports.
The Nationals removed Adams from the 40-man roster in January, and he spent all of 2026 in Triple-A. There, he hit .273/.389/.506 with 16 home runs in 82 games. Because he carried more than three years of service time and held no 40-man spot, he qualified for minor league free agency after the season, MLB Trade Rumors reports.
Defensively, Adams rates poorly at framing pitches but holds up well on bounced pitches and throws, according to the same report. He has also logged limited time at first base.
Boston Red Sox Catching Depth and Riley Adams’ 2027 Outlook
Boston acquired Rutschman at the trade deadline, and he enters 2027 as the starter. Sports Illustrated reports Wong handled most backup duties this past season, while MLB Trade Rumors reports that Gasper, who rarely caught in 2026, holds a 40-man spot too.
Boston views Adams as depth, a third or fourth option, and may still pursue a more established backup through free agency or a trade, according to the same report. Pouliot projects him in that same spot on the depth chart entering spring training.
Adams does not hold a 40-man roster spot, so Boston would have to add him before any call-up. For now, he enters the competition for the backup job alongside Wong and possibly Gasper, with the offseason still in its early stages.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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