Riley Adams: Everything you need to know

The Nationals reassigned Adams to minor-league camp Wednesday. Adams was booted from the 40-man roster in January and is slated to begin the season at Triple-A Rochester. While Adams has elite bat speed, he strikes out too much at the plate. He slashed .186/.252/.308 with eight home runs, 24 RBI, 29 runs scored and an 18:110 BB:K across 286 plate appearances for Washington last season.

Adams cleared waivers Wednesday and was sent outright to Triple-A Rochester. The 29-year-old catcher was DFA'd by the Nationals last Thursday to create space on the 40-man roster for Gus Varland (undisclosed). Adams had the right to elect free agency after passing through waivers unclaimed, but he will instead accept his assignment to Rochester and is likely to remain there for the majority of 2026.

The Nationals designated Adams for assignment Thursday. The 29-year-old backstop appeared in a career-high 83 games during the 2025 season but was a liability when holding a bat, as he slashed .186/.252/.308 across 286 plate appearances. With no need for five catchers on their 40-man roster, the Nationals will now move on from Adams in order to make room for Gus Varland, who was claimed off waivers from Arizona on Thursday.