Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez wants to ease catcher Keibert Ruiz in now that he's returned from a bad case of influenza that caused him to lose 18-20 pounds. It will also give the skipper the opportunity to keep catcher Riley Adams' bat in the lineup on a regular basis after he posted a .793 OPS when he caught 11 of the last 13 games with Ruiz out. "We're definitely going to use him," Martinez said. "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. It's good to have him, to watch him play and to watch him get better every day he's out there." As long as the 27-year-old continues to play several times a week, he'll be valuable in two-catcher fantasy leagues.

Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams (wrist), who broke the hamate bone in his left wrist in September of last year and needed surgery, has fully healed and said he doesn't have any lingering issues entering spring training. Before getting hurt, Adams was in the midst of a breakout in D.C., slashing .273/.331/.476 with four home runs, 21 RBI and eight runs scored in 44 games in his second full season with the team. Still, he won't have much fantasy appeal at all as long as starting catcher Keibert Ruiz remains healthy in 2024. The 27-year-old backup backstop should see most of his sparse playing time against left-handed pitching, with whom he produced a .960 OPS with three of his four long balls against in 2023.

Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams (hand) injured his left hand after fouling off a pitch on Wednesday against the New York Mets and had to leave mid-at-bat in the bottom of the eighth inning. X-rays came back inconclusive, so he will undergo an MRI exam on Thursday. Club officials are worried that Adams may have injured his hamate bone. If he suffered a fractured hamate bone, Adams would miss the rest of the season but would have more than enough time to recover for spring training next year. The 27-year-old hasn't been a fantasy asset in 2023 despite hitting .273 (39-for-143) in 44 games for the Nats. Adams has just four home runs, 21 RBI and eight runs scored in 158 plate appearances.

Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams (hand, wrist) was forced to leave Wednesday's game with a 1-2 count after fouling a ball off. Adams hurt his left hand or wrist and couldn't continue. He's been a solid contributor in a part-time role for the Nats but doesn't offer any fantasy value. Nonetheless, hopefully everything checks out fine for Adams and he's not forced to miss time.

Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams had the best game of his career at the plate Tuesday against the Toronto Blue Jays, going 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, three RBI, and three runs scored. It's only the second home run of the rookie's career in 51 at-bats. Adams is not getting the full complement of starts behind the plate, keeping him from being a consideration in even the deepest two-catcher leagues. Even if he were to receive more regular playing time, he'd need to improve his .640 OPS to be worth an add.

Washington Nationals catcher Riley Adams played the hero in just his second start with the team Saturday, hitting a go-ahead two-run home run with Washington down to it's last out against the Atlanta Braves and closer Will Smith. It was Adams' only hit in three at-bats, and he also drew a walk. Adams is no top prospect, but he does figure to see some time behind the plate for the rest of the year. With no stand-out offensive skill, he does not figure to be a contributor for fantasy this year or next, but there's always the chance that he'll continue to develop at the major league level.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays acquired closer Brad Hand from Washington on Thursday, getting some bullpen help from a skidding Nationals team that has turned into a trade-deadline seller. The 31-year-old Hand is 5-5 with a 3.59 ERA and 21 saves in 26 opportunities for the Nationals, who entered Thursday's doubleheader at Philadelphia eight games under .500 and in the midst of a COVID-19 outbreak that has sidelined four players. Washington is 6-16 in July. The Blue Jays sent catcher Riley Adams to Washington. Toronto entered Thursday at 50-48, good for fourth place in the tough AL East, but the Blue Jays are 4 1/2 games back of the second AL wild card as they prepare to begin their first true homestand of the season on Friday. Toronto had played home games in Dunedin, Florida, and Buffalo, New York, this season because of pandemic-related travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada. Hand signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with Washington in the offseason. Before that,... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays placed Danny Jansen on the 10-day injured list Tuesday and recalled fellow catcher Riley Adams from Triple-A Buffalo. Jansen strained his right hamstring running the bases during Sunday's 6-3 loss to Houston. “I don't want to speculate, but for sure he wasn't going to be able to probably catch in the next few days,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “So of course we don't want to go with one catcher, so that's one of the reasons for the move.” Adams made his major league debut in Tuesday night's 6-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox, going 1 for 3 with a fifth-inning double that went off the wall in center. He also made a couple nice defensive plays. The 24-year-old Adams, a third-round pick in the 2017 amateur draft, hit .250 with six homers in 19 games this year at Buffalo. “Riley Adams did an outstanding job behind the plate,” Montoyo said. “And you saw it in the seventh inning when we were in trouble, he was blocking balls and stuff. It's not that easy for... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays placed Danny Jansen on the 10-day injured list Tuesday and recalled fellow catcher Riley Adams from Triple-A Buffalo. Jansen strained his right hamstring running the bases during Sunday's 6-3 loss to Houston. “I don't want to speculate, but for sure he wasn't going to be able to probably catch in the next few days,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “So of course we don't want to go with one catcher, so that's one of the reasons for the move.” Adams was in the starting lineup for Tuesday night's series opener at the Chicago White Sox, making his major league debut. The 24-year-old Adams, a third-round pick in the 2017 amateur draft, hit .250 with six homers in 19 games this year at Buffalo. Montoyo also said George Springer made the trip to Chicago, and the plan was to have him hit on the field and track balls before the matchup with the White Sox. Springer signed a team-record $150 million, six-year deal with Toronto this offseason, but the All-Star outfielder... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — The Toronto Blue Jays placed Danny Jansen on the 10-day injured list Tuesday and recalled fellow catcher Riley Adams from Triple-A Buffalo. Jansen strained his right hamstring running the bases during Sunday's 6-3 loss to Houston. “I don't want to speculate, but for sure he wasn't going to be able to probably catch in the next few days,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “So of course we don't want to go with one catcher, so that's one of the reasons for the move.” Adams was in the starting lineup for Tuesday night's series opener at the Chicago White Sox, making his major league debut. The 24-year-old Adams, a third-round pick in the 2017 amateur draft, hit .250 with six homers in 19 games this year at Buffalo. Montoyo also said George Springer made the trip to Chicago, and the plan was to have him hit on the field and track balls before the matchup with the White Sox. Springer signed a team-record $150 million, six-year deal with Toronto this offseason, but the All-Star outfielder has appeared in just four games because of injuries. He was placed on the IL last month after aggravating his strained right quadriceps. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports