The Boston Red Sox have added veteran catcher Riley Adams to the organization on a minor-league contract, a move confirmed in the MiLB transaction log.
The deal includes an invitation to major-league spring training, placing Adams in camp as a non-roster player rather than on the 40-man roster.
Adams, 30, arrives after spending the entire 2026 season at Triple-A Rochester in the Washington Nationals organization.
There he posted a .273/.389/.506 slash line with 16 home runs and 50 RBIs in 82 games, numbers that produced a 135 wRC+.
The Nationals had removed him from their 40-man roster in January and later outrighted him; because he carried more than three years of major-league service time, he became a minor-league free agent after the season and elected free agency on September 29.
Originally drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the third round in 2017 out of the University of San Diego, Adams made his major-league debut in June 2021 and was traded to Washington later that summer.
Across parts of five big-league seasons, mostly with the Nationals, he has appeared in 263 games and owns a career .211/.287/.354 line with 21 home runs.
His power has been more consistent in the minors, where he has slugged near .490 across substantial Triple-A time, but he has also struck out at a high rate in the majors.
Defensively, evaluations have long noted below-average framing while giving him solid marks for blocking and arm strength; he has also seen occasional work at first base.
Boston’s catching picture is already set at the top.
The club acquired Adley Rutschman from Baltimore at the 2026 trade deadline, and Connor Wong remains on the 40-man roster as the primary backup option, with Mickey Gasper also available.
The Red Sox view Adams as organizational depth rather than a direct challenger for a major-league role, though the early signing gives him a full offseason to work with the club’s staff.
In an interview after the agreement, Adams said the chance to earn a return to the big leagues was the deciding factor, and he recalled a memorable first visit to Fenway Park as a rookie with Toronto, when the crowd’s rendition of “Sweet Caroline” stood out.
The transaction is the Red Sox’ first free-agent addition of the offseason.
It adds experienced catching depth at low cost while leaving the club free to pursue a more established backup through free agency or trade if it chooses.
For Adams, the path back to the majors runs through Worcester and spring training in Florida.
