Angels acquire infielder Ryan Jackson from Royals for Drew Butera
Seattle infielder Shawn O’Malley slides safely into second in front of Kansas City infielder Ryan Jackson during a game on March 26.
The Angels have acquired infielder Ryan Jackson from the Kansas City Royals for backup catcher Drew Butera, who was designated for assignment on Monday.
The move bolstered the Angels’ organizational depth at shortstop, where three players — Eric Stamets (double-A Arkansas), Roberto Baldoquin (Class-A Inland Empire) and Jake Yacinich (Class-A Burlington) — recently suffered left-shoulder injuries that sent them to the disabled list.
It put a dent in the team’s catching depth, removing a strong-armed veteran who provided solid defense, but with the Angels likely to lose Butera to a waiver claim or possibly free agency, they were at least able to get something in return for him.
Jackson, 26, has appeared in 20 major league games over two seasons (2012-2013) with the St. Louis Cardinals and was batting .309 with one homer, three doubles and two runs batted in for triple-A Omaha this season.
A former fifth-round pick of the Cardinals in 2009, Jackson has a career .269 average across six minor league seasons. He has played for five different organizations — St. Louis, Houston, San Diego, the Dodgers and Kansas City.
Butera, 31, appeared in 10 games for the Angels this season, batting .190 with three runs and throwing out three of 11 would-be base-stealers.
Follow Mike DiGiovanna on Twitter @MikeDiGiovanna
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