Born in Norcatur, Kansas, Adkins made his major league debut on September 19, 1942, as a late-season call-up for the Senators, starting the only game he appeared in that season. He allowed 8 runs (7 earned) in 61⁄3 innings but did not figure in the decision. Adkins made a few more appearances for Washington the next season, all in relief, compiling a 2.61 ERA in seven games.
After eventually finding himself playing for Atlanta in the independent minor league Southern Association, Adkins did not make another appearance at the big league level until the age of 31. Reemerging with the Chicago Cubs in 1949, Adkins saw his most extensive major league action. He pitched in thirty games as both a starter and a reliever, completing one of his five starts and finishing fourteen of the 25 games in which he appeared as a reliever. Adkins also hit his only major league home run as a member of the 1949 Cubs. His 1949 record of 2–4 and ERA of 5.68 failed to get him a job the next season, and he never again appeared at the major league level.
