Angels get INF Jackson from KC for Butera

Angels get INF Jackson from KC for Butera

ANAHEIM -- The Angels were unable to slip veteran backup catcher Drew Butera through waivers,so on Thursday, they did the next best thing, flipping him to the Royals for Minor League infielderRyan Jackson.

Jackson will report to Triple-A Salt Lake and will add middle-infield depth to an organization that hasrecently seen three shortstops -- Eric Stamets with Double-A Arkansas, Roberto Baldoquin withAdvanced Class A Inland Empire and Jake Yacinich with Class A Burlington -- be placed on thedisabled list with injuries to their non-throwing shoulders.

Butera was designated for assignment on Monday, when the Angels called up the hot-hitting CarlosPerez to share time behind the plate with Chris Iannetta.

"We knew this day would come, that eventually we'd hand the reins of that backup position toCarlos," Angels general manager Jerry Dipoto said in a phone conversation.

"Obviously our hope was that we would be able to maintain Drew in the organization, but he's been abackup catcher in the big leagues for a number of years. As soon as we designated him forassignment, it became fairly clear that he was going to get claimed on waivers, so putting together atrade made the most sense. And we brought back an asset that can really help us, eitherorganizationally or in the big leagues."

Jackson, 26, will be out of options if he reaches the big leagues. A fifth-round Draft pick by theCardinals out of the University of Miami in 2009, Jackson is a career .269/.340/.364 hitter in theMinors who played in 20 Major League games from 2012-13.

Dipoto called Jackson an "exceptionally good defender in the middle infield," but he has no plans toreplace Major League utility man Taylor Featherston.

"We're not in a rush to make a change in the big leagues by any stretch," Dipoto said, "but that nextlayer of depth is very important. In this particular instance, we felt like Ryan Jackson fit for us."

Alden Gonzalez is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Gonzo and "The Show", and follow him onTwitter @Alden_Gonzalez. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or itsclubs.

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