Editor’s Note: This is the latest edition of our 40-man breakdown series. You can read previous player profiles by clicking here.

Riley Adams

• Position:  Catcher
• Current status: Third year pre-arbitration (Arb-eligible 2025, Free Agent 2028)
• How acquired:  Acquired from the Blue Jays for Brad Hand, 7/30/2021
• 2023 Grade: B+
• 2024 Opening Day Projection: MLB backup catcher if fully recovered from last September’s hamate surgery, otherwise rehabbing in West Palm Beach or Rochester
• 2023 stats: 44 G, 158 PA, .273/.331/.476, 13 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 0-0 SB, 120 OPS+, .344 wOBA, 116 wRC+, 1.0 bWAR/0.4 fWAR

2023 Analysis

After a fairly horrendous 2022 in which he did little besides hit for some power in almost the same amount of plate appearances (5 HR, .176/.245/.310), Adams bounced back with the lumber thanks in part to being very judiciously used against southpaws (almost half his PA). Unfortunately, he fractured his left hamate fouling off a pitch against the Mets on September 6th and had surgery a few days later. That ended a successful campaign, albeit in a fairly small sample size. Adams was also below-average defensively, which is not surprising given that he’s one of baseball’s largest catchers (6’4”, 260); while he was a couple ticks above average at throwing out runners (22%) in the first year with the new rules, his framing cost the Nats 5 runs per Statcast, 53rd of 63 catchers (and all but two of the ten name below him - which included Keibert Ruiz at #61 - caught essentially double the innings or more of Adams). All in all, while the bat played this year as it did in his 2021 post-trade deadline cameo with the Nats, he showed that his ceiling is that of a pretty good bat-forward backup catcher.

2024 outlook

Hamate surgeries notoriously diminish a hitter’s bat speed and power for a year or so - just ask outfield prospect and non-roster invitee Robert Hassell III. Adams has no restrictions entering spring training, but he has an option remaining, so if he indeed joins the legions of post-surgery hitters who struggle to hit the ball as hard, there will be an argument for sending him to Rochester to start the year. If his bat is cromulent this spring, however, he will likely maintain his hold on the 26-man as Ruiz’s backup and Drew Millas would then almost certainly be the Red Wings’ everyday backstop. Should Adams recover well at the plate and prove a hair better defensively, it also might be worth exploring trading him if there happens to be a budget-conscious contender who suddenly experiences a need for a backup who won’t embarrass himself in the batter’s box. Adams does have four years of club control remaining, but Millas has six and is younger and far superior wearing the tools of ignorance. That would appear to make Millas the eventual logical choice to back up Ruiz. That choice will come to pass when it shall, but given the nature of Adams’ wrist injury, there’s a non-zero chance it could be forced in 2024 rather than in 2025 or later.