The Boston Red Sox made their first offseason addition on Thursday afternoon, with MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo reporting that the team has signed veteran catcher Riley Adams to a minor-league deal. The deal includes an invite to major-league spring training, but he will not take a spot on the 40-man roster. 

A former third-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays, Adams has spent parts of five seasons in the big leagues with Toronto and the Washington Nationals from 2021 to 2025. In 263 big-league games, the right-handed catcher has hit .211/.287/.354/.640 with 21 home runs, 38 doubles, and 73 RBI. 

The 30-year-old spent the entire 2026 season with Washington’s Triple-A affiliate. In 82 games, Adams hit .273/.389/.506/.894 with 16 home runs, 15 doubles, driving in 50 runs. Although Adams didn't appear in the big leagues in 2026, his underlying stats suggest he could push for a roster spot heading into 2027. Adams ranked in the 70th percentile or higher in nearly every quality-of-contact statistic, including hard-hit rate (48.4 percent, 89th percentile), average exit velocity (90.7 mph, 85th percentile), and barrel percentage (8.9 percent, 75th percentile). 

Defensively, Adams has a strong arm, ranking in the 69th percentile in caught steals above average in 2025. However, he struggles with framing (5th percentile) and blocking (28th percentile). 

First and foremost, Adams signing helps to replenish some of the catching depth with Triple-A Worcester. In 2026, Worcester used several catchers, including former big leaguers Jason Delay and Tomas Nido, both of whom will become minor-league free agents in the coming weeks.

However, Adams could push for a spot on the major league roster as a cheaper backup option than Connor Wong. It was a second straight disappointing season for Wong, who is now one of the Red Sox' longest-tenured players. In 77 games, Wong hit .233/.308/.348/.655. In addition to below-average production at the plate, Wong isn’t a very strong defensive option, ranking in the 23rd percentile in caught steals above-average and pop time, with framing skills that ranked in the fourth percentile. 

The 30-year-old is expected to earn $2 million in his second year of arbitration, and while that is certainly not an albatross-like figure, the team has already committed $268 million to its roster in 2027 before making any major additions. While it's unlikely Wong would not be tendered a contract, Adams could push him for the backup position in spring training, making the 30-year-old a trade candidate for catcher-needy teams, giving the team more salary flexibility.