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: 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 homer and four doubles while winning the trust of the pitching staff, and he'll retain fantasy value in deeper two-catcher formats if he's seeing action three or four times a week.
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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: No restrictions to start spring
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Adams (wrist) appears to be fully recovered from hamate bone surgery in his wrist and has no restrictions to begin spring training, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.
The catcher underwent surgery in September, ending his 2023 campaign prematurely. Adams had something of a breakout at the plate in 2023, slashing .273/.331/.476 in 158 plate appearances, but the 27-year-old remains firmly behind Keibert Ruiz on the Nationals' depth chart.
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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: Being evaluated for hamate injury
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Team officials fear Adams may have injured his left hamate bone in Wednesday's win over the Mets, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Adams departed the game after experiencing pain in his left hand/wrist on a pinch-hit swing in the bottom of the eighth inning. X-rays were inconclusive, which isn't usually an encouraging early sign, and he is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Thursday. If it's a hamate bone fracture, the 27-year-old catcher would be done for the remainder of the 2023 season.
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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: Retreats to bench
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Adams is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Blue Jays, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
While Keibert Ruiz had experienced some lightheadness, Adams started at catcher in each of the last four games, going 1-for-15 with nine strikeouts. Even though the Nationals called up Drew Millas from Triple-A Rochester on Monday to provide extra insurance behind the dish, Ruiz has been cleared to resume catching duties and will step in as Washington's starting backstop in the series opener in Toronto. Adams is expected to see his playing time take a hit moving forward.
Adams will start at catcher and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Marlins.
Adams will receive a fourth straight turn behind the dish in place of Keibert Ruiz (head) after going 1-for-12 with seven strikeouts in the previous three contests. Per Andrew Golden of The Washington Post, manager Dave Martinez said he elected to give Ruiz another day off Sunday on the advice of the Nationals' medical staff, but Ruiz is expected to rejoin the lineup Monday in Toronto. If that's the case, Adams will end up seeing a significant reduction in playing time moving forward.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Earning more playing time
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Adams went 2-for-5 with two doubles, a run scored and three RBI in Saturday's 11-6 win over the Mets.
The 27-year-old backstop is having a breakout season, and through 100 plate appearances he's slashing .304/.354/.565 with four homers and 15 RBI. Adams isn't going to bump Keibert Ruiz out of the top spot on the depth chart, but he has started three of the last seven games and should continue to earn a bigger share of the workload at catcher as long as he keeps producing at the plate.
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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.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Powers offense in loss
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Adams went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Diamondbacks.
The 26-year-old started behind the plate Thursday with Keibert Ruiz resting his legs as the designated hitter, and he delivered a two-run shot during the ninth inning to cut Washington's deficit in half. Adams has a .304/.371/.589 slash line with three home runs in 16 games this season and should continue to see sporadic playing time as the backup catcher.
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Nationals' Riley Adams: Three extra-base hits in win
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Adams went 4-for-4 with two doubles and a solo home run in Sunday's 6-4 win over the Tigers.
Adams' solo shot in the second extended Washington's lead to 4-0. He added a single his next time up and hit back-to-back doubles in his final two at-bats, marking the first four-hit game of his career. The 2017 third-round pick continues to see sporadic time as the backup catcher behind Keibert Ruiz, but Adams' offensive explosion Sunday may earn him a few more looks moving forward.
