Adley Rutschman will be the Boston Red Sox's primary catcher in 2027. Boston has many backup catching options to choose from, and it just added to its stash.
The Red Sox have signed catcher Riley Adams to a minor league deal, per insider Ari Alexander of 7News Boston. Adams has spent most of his career in the Washington Nationals organization. He last appeared in the major leagues with them in 2025. Adams, 30, was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2017 and made his major league debut there in 2021 before they traded him to Washington midseason.
Adams spent the 2026 season with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings. He batted .273/.389/.506 with 15 doubles, 16 home runs, 80 strikeouts and 41 walks over 82 games.
Adams' recent major league production isn't impressive. He batted .186/.252/.308 with 110 strikeouts and 18 walks over 83 games in 2025. He managed eight home runs and eight doubles in that time. On the occasions when he makes good contact, good things happen. In the majors in 2025, Adams boasted elite bat speed (78.3) and hard hit percentage (52.3). There is plenty of swing-and-miss in his game to limit him, however. He's a career .211/.287/.354 hitter across parts of five seasons (263 games) in the big leagues.
Red Sox sign former Nationals backup catcher Riley Adams to a minor-league deal to join stash of Triple-A options
Defense has never been Adams' strongest point, but he does some things well. He logged two blocks below average in 2025, as well as fifth-percentile framing ability. He did rank above average in caught stealing above average and pop time — he'd be a good desperation option in the late innings to catch runners on the base paths while presenting a power threat at the plate. He strikes out far too much (38.5 strikeout percentage in 2025) to be a reliable power bat, however.
Adams joins a deep mix of Red Sox backup catching options between Triple-A and the major leagues. Rutschman will be the No. 1 with Connor Wong or Mickey Gasper likely to be the No. 2. Gasper is recovering well from surgery after a biceps injury removed him from Boston's short stint in the playoffs. Versatile infielder Anthony Seigler also has catching experence. Jason Delay, Tomás Nido and Nate Baez are the Sox's Triple-A catchers.
Having another catcher in the mix is never a bad thing. Adams adds to Boston's deep pool of emergency options if something were to happen to Rutschman, who has been injury prone over the last few years.
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