The Red Sox have lined up some catching depth for next spring, agreeing to a minor league deal with Riley Adams, according to Ari Alexander of 7News in Boston. Adams, a client of the Ballengee Group, will presumably head into camp as a non-roster player.
Adams spent this season in Triple-A with the Nationals after Washington took him off its 40-man roster in January. He produced a strong year at the plate, batting .273/.389/.506 with 16 homers across 324 plate appearances, good for a 135 wRC+. Because the Nationals didn’t add him back to the 40-man roster and he has more than three years of major league service time, Adams was eligible for minor league free agency, which he reached after the season.
A former third-round pick, Adams has logged parts of five big league seasons, mostly with Washington. The power has always been there in the profile, but it hasn’t translated consistently in the majors. In the big leagues, he’s a career .211/.287/.354 hitter with a 32.5% strikeout rate.
Behind the plate, Adams has not been a standout framer, but he has posted decent results on balls in the dirt and in throwing. He has some first-base experience, though most of his career has come at catcher and designated hitter. Across parts of four Triple-A seasons, Adams has hit .260/.373/.489 in 764 plate appearances.
For Boston, this is clearly a depth move. The club has Connor Wong and Mickey Gasper as backup choices on the 40-man roster, though Gasper rarely caught in 2026.
Either one could serve as Adley Rutschman’s primary backup, but the Red Sox could still look for a more established option this winter through free agency or a trade. Adams gives them another experienced name in the mix, the kind of extra catcher teams like to have around.
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