Royals acquire catcher Drew Butera from the Angels

The Royals today acquired catcher Drew Butera from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in exchange for minor league infielder Ryan Jackson. The 31-year old Butera was 4-for-21 (.190) with the Angels with no walks or extra base hits. In parts of six Major League seasons withe Dodgers, Twins, and Angels, the right-handed hitter is a career .183/.238/.266 hitter in 754 plate appearances. Drew is the son of former Twins catcher Sal Butera.

The Royals give up infielder Ryan Jackson, who was hitting .305/.379/.407 for AAA Omaha. The 27-year old Jackson was acquired by the Royals from the Dodgers for cash considerations last November.

Butera is out of options, so presumably he joins the active roster to back up Salvador Perez with Francisco Pena being shipped back to Omaha. Backup catcher Erik Kratz was placed on the disabled list yesterday with a foot injury.