Riley

Adams

The 28-year-old backstop has already appeared in 25 games for the Nationals this season, slashing .215/.281/.354 with a pair of homers and six RBI in 89 plate appearances. It’s not much, but it’s more production than they were getting from Drew Millas, which is why the team most likely made the switch again. He’ll function as the primary backup behind Keibert Ruiz for the time being.

Adams has struggled with the bat and not seen much playing time as of late, so he’ll head back to Triple-A to see more regular at-bats. Drew Millas is up to be the backup backstop to Keibert Ruiz.

Adams is finally getting some extra playing time with Keibert Ruiz on the IL and has hit .306/.316/.583 in 38 plate appearances. He also blew Ruiz away with an .807 OPS while serving as a strict backup last year. The body of work suggests that he deserves some DH time when Ruiz is healthy, but we’ll see if that materializes. Last year, the Nationals used Ruiz as a DH on 16 occasions and put Adams there just once.

Ruiz will miss his fourth straight game due to illness on Saturday afternoon. It’ll be Riley Adams continuing to handle the catching duties in his absence.

It didn’t take long for the 27-year-old backstop to get in on the action. In just his third at-bat of the season, Adams drilled a fastball from Roansy Contreras to left center that went 427 feet. He’s going to split time with Keibert Ruiz behind the plate, but should still see at-bats from DH this season.

He’s 4-for-13 with just one strikeout so far. Adams was great offensively in limited action while playing behind Keibert Ruiz last year, hitting .273/.331/.476 in 158 plate appearances before missing the final four weeks with a broken hamate bone. The Nationals should squeeze him in more frequently against lefties this season, with either he or Ruiz serving as a DH.

The move clears a spot for Tanner Rainey (elbow) on the 60-day injured list. Adams went down earlier this month with a fractured left hamate bone.

Adams suffered the injury during Wednesday’s game and will miss the remainder of the season. The 27-year-old should have plenty of time to heal in advance of next season where he should once again serve in a backup catcher role. Adams will wrap up the 2023 season with a strong .273/.331/.476 batting line and four homers over 158 plate appearances.

Adams was forced to exit Wednesday’s contest in the middle of an at-bat with an apparent left hand or wrist injury after a foul ball.

Ruiz was held out of the lineup Thursday after feeling some lightheadedness from a foul tip on Wednesday, but it’s a good sign he’s able to get back in there as the DH. Riley Adams will start behind the plate and catch Joan Adon.