Nationals' Riley Adams: Drawing second start of season
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Adams will start at catcher and bat eighth in Thursday's game against the Pirates.
Though he's been on the Washington roster all season, Adams will enter the lineup for just the second time while top backstop Keibert Ruiz rests after starting behind the dish in 17 of the first 18 games. The Nationals will likely lighten Ruiz's workload a bit as the season unfolds, but Adams still probably won't be in line for more than a start or two per week while Ruiz is healthy.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Back in action Monday
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Adams (wrist) will start at catcher and bat eighth in Monday's Grapefruit League contest versus the Marlins, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Adams missed a few days of action with a sore wrist as a result of a hit-by-pitch, but there was never any worry it could be a long-term issue. He's competing to be the Nationals' backup catcher behind Keibert Ruiz.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Scratched from lineup
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Adams was scratched from the lineup ahead of Saturday's Grapefruit League game versus St. Louis due to a right wrist injury, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Adams took a pitch off his wrist Friday, and although X-rays came back negative immediately afterward, the Nationals opted to give him Saturday to recover. He should be back in the lineup within a few days.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Avoids arbitration
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The Nationals and Adams avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $850,000 contract Thursday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Adams is a career .224/.304/.378 hitter over parts of four big-league seasons and was eligible for arbitration for the first time. He's out of minor-league options, so he'll either open 2025 as the Nationals' backup catcher or be exposed to waivers.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Filling in for resting Ruiz
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Adams will start at catcher and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Giants.
For the first time since July 28, Adams will crack the Washington lineup while top backstop Keibert Ruiz gets a day off. So long as Ruiz doesn't show any signs of wearing down from his heavy workload, Adams will likely be in store for limited opportunities moving forward.
The Nationals recalled Adams from Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Adams was optioned a month ago following a slump at the plate, but he's back after posting a .946 OPS with six homers in 22 games at Rochester. He will back up Keibert Ruiz.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Optioned down to Triple-A
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Washington optioned Adams to Triple-A Rochester on Sunday.
In his last 10 games, Adams has gone 5-for-27 and had seen scarce playing time of late while Keibert Ruiz has settled back in as the Nationals' No. 1 backstop. According to Andrew Golden of The Washington Post, manager Dave Martinez suggested Adams' demotion was mostly about getting the 27-year-old more work, both at catcher and first base. Drew Millas was called up from Rochester and will replace Adams as the top backup to Ruiz.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Could still see consistent work
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Adams might still see regular playing time even with Keibert Ruiz back from the injured list, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports. "We're definitely going to use him," Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Thursday. "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."
Adams started 11 of 13 games while Ruiz was sidelined by an illness, batting .270 (10-for-37) with a home run and four doubles while winning the trust of the pitching staff. He'll retain fantasy value in deeper two-catcher formats if he's seeing action three or four times per week.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Set to lose work with Ruiz back
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Adams is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Dodgers.
With Keibert Ruiz (illness) returning from the 10-day injured list Thursday and starting behind the plate in his first game back, Adams' time as the Nationals' No. 1 backstop appears to have ended. He had started 11 of the Nationals' 13 games while Ruiz was out, going 10-for-37 (.270 batting average) with five extra-base hits (one home run, four doubles), three runs and three RBI.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Pops second homer
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Adams went 2-for-3 with a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Friday's 5-3 loss to the Astros.
The 27-year-old backstop was the only Washington hitter to have much success against Justin Verlander in his 2024 debut, lacing a two-bagger off the the future Hall of Famer in the third inning and taking him deep in the fifth for Adams' second long ball of the year. With Keibert Ruiz (illness) on the shelf, Adams has started seven of the last nine games and gone 9-for-25 (.360) with four doubles and a homer. Even when Ruiz has recovered, a Nationals club searching for offense might try to find ways to keep Adams in the lineup as long as he stays hot.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Getting breather Tuesday
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Adams is out of the starting lineup Tuesday versus the Dodgers, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Adams will take a seat in the second installment of the team's three-game series with Los Angeles, giving way to Drew Millas behind the plate. Adams saw his four-game hitting streak get snapped in Monday's 6-4 win over the Dodgers, but he is still batting .300 with a homer, four RBI and two runs scored over 30 at-bats in eight games this season. He'll continue to handle the lion's share of work at catcher while Keibert Ruiz (illness) is unavailable.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Getting start at catcher
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Adams will start at catcher and bat fifth in Thursday's game against the Pirates.
Much of Adams' playing time comes versus left-handers, and he will face southpaw Martin Perez on Thursday while Keibert Ruiz rests. Adams put up a .960 OPS in 76 plate appearances against lefties in 2023.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Clubs first homer of 2024
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Adams went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's loss to the Pirates.
Getting his first start of the season while Keibert Ruiz slotted in as the DH, Adams tied the game at 3-3 in the seventh inning by launching a Roansy Contreras fastball over the fence in left-center field. The 27-year-old posted a useful .273/.331/.476 slash line over 158 plate appearances in 2023 with four homers and 21 RBI, and while his playing time will be limited again behind Ruiz, Adams has a bit more upside than a typical end-game catcher in a NL-only format.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Set as No. 2 catcher
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Adams will begin the season as the Nationals' backup catcher behind Keibert Ruiz.
Adams was surprisingly productive at the plate in 2023, slashing .273/.331/.476 with four homers in 158 plate appearances, and he showed no signs of regression in camp. Ruiz will see a heavy workload, but Adams has earned the trust of the pitching staff and could see more consistent action in 2024, giving him some fantasy appeal as a cheap endgame catcher in deep formats.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Shifts to 60-day IL
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The Nationals transferred Adams (wrist) to the 60-day injured list Friday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Adams underwent season-ending surgery on his left hand/wrist Sept. 11, so his move to the 60-day IL is simply procedural. The 27-year-old slashed .273/.331/.476 with 21 RBI through 158 plate appearances in 2023, and he is expected to be fully recovered before the start of spring training. Tanner Rainey (elbow) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list to fill Adams' spot on the 40-man roster.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Gets hand surgery
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Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Monday that Adams underwent successful surgery to repair the fractured hamate bone in his left wrist, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Adams is expected to be fully healed from the procedure ahead of spring training in February. Drew Millas will serve as the top backup to Keibert Ruiz for the rest of the season while Adams is on the shelf. Adams finishes his second full season in Washington with a .273/.331/.476 slash line to go with four home runs, 21 RBI and eight runs across 158 plate appearances over 44 games.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Lands on IL with hamate fracture
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Adams was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday with a fractured left hamate bone, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Adams suffered the injury during Wednesday's win over the Mets and will require season-ending surgery. It's a bummer of an ending to what has been a nice season as a part-timer for the 27-year-old, as Adams produced a .273/.331/.476 slash line with four home runs in 44 games as Keibert Ruiz's understudy.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Getting MRI on hand Thursday
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Adams was removed from Wednesday's game against the Mets with a left hand injury and will get an MRI done Thursday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Adams entered Wednesday's contest as a pinch hitter for Travis Blankenhorn, but Adams injured his hand after fouling off a pitch and wasn't able to finish his at-bat. Initial X-rays came back inconclusive, so more information won't be available until Adams' MRI results come back Thursday. Early indications don't seem promising for the 27-year-old backstop.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Swats fourth homer
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Adams went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Sunday's win over the Giants.
The 27-year-old backstop continues to make the most of his rare opportunities. Adams has recorded multiple hits in three of his last four starts dating back to July 6, boosting his slash line on the season to .289/.344/.542 with 11 extra-base hits in 91 plate appearances, including four homers. Should anything sideline Keibert Ruiz, Adams could have some fantasy appeal beyond being a cheap second catcher in NL-only formats.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Three hits in Thursday's loss
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Adams went 3-for-4 with two doubles in Thursday's extra-inning loss to the Reds.
It's the second three-hit effort in Adams' last five starts, although that period stretches back to June 22 and he went 0-for-11 in between the two big performances. The 27-year-old catcher is slashing .282/.346/.535 on the season with 10 of his 20 hits going for extra bases (five doubles, two triples and three homers) while seeing inconsistent playing time behind Keibert Ruiz.
