Kansas City Royals: Drew Butera Filling In Nicely
The Kansas City Royals dodged a huge bullet when it was announced that Salvador Perez would only miss around seven to ten days with an injury to his quadricep.
The KC Royals were very fortunate that Salvador Perez is only missing around two weeks, as the injury could have been a lot worse.
Backup catcher Drew Butera has performed admirably in Perez’s absence though, which is huge for the Royals right now. Butera has always been a solid defensive catcher, which is one of the many reasons why the Royals likely brought him back this season. What’s been surprising me the most about Butera is his production on offense.
In 13 games (as of the first game with the Cleveland Indians), Butera is slashing .306/.375/.528. He’s been seeing quite a bit of production at the plate, which has helped the Royals stay hot despite Perez being injured.
More from Kansas City Royals
- This Plus-Money Bobby Witt Jr. Prop Bet is on Fire (Hit in 15/21 Games)!
- The Royals Need to Extend Bobby Witt Jr. Immediately
- DraftKings + FanDuel Kansas Promos: INSTANT $150 Bonus Plus Two Chances to Win!
- 3 Royals Players Who Won’t Be on the Roster Next Year
- LAST CHANCE to Claim $250 GUARANTEED Bonus With FanDuel and DraftKings Kansas Promos!
Now I’m most definitely not suggesting that the Kansas City Royals stick with Butera when Perez comes back, but seeing him perform so well is definitely a good thing. For one, it means that the team can afford to give Perez more days off during the season so that he can stay fresh.
Butera has been a great addition for the Royals and he even got to catch the final out of the team’s World Series title last year. In the last seven days, Butera has a batting average of .412 and has hit one home run, two doubles, and five RBI. He’s had seven hits, four runs, and drawn three walks during that time as well.
While the offensive production has been tremendous, Butera is known for his defense. He threw out Adam Eaton during that big White Sox series after he led off an inning, which ended up being a huge moment for the team.
More from KC Kingdom
- Win $650 GUARANTEED Plus $100 Off NFL Sunday Ticket With Caesars, FanDuel and DraftKings Kansas Promos!
- This Plus-Money Bobby Witt Jr. Prop Bet is on Fire (Hit in 15/21 Games)!
- How to Bet on the Chiefs vs. Cardinals in NFL Preseason Week 2
- The Royals Need to Extend Bobby Witt Jr. Immediately
- The 3 Most Intriguing Games on the Chiefs’ Schedule
Butera also appears to be a good catcher for Yordano Ventura, who has been up and down over the past few years. Butera caught for Ventura in Cleveland in game one and the young pitcher had a decent outing, going six innings and only allowing one earned run.
Having a solid backup catcher is huge in the major leagues, and the Royals are seeing that now with Perez going down.
When Erik Kratz was this team’s backup not too long ago, that confidence wasn’t there. Kratz seldom got to start and was actually the only guy on the 25-man roster to not appear during the 2014 postseason.
Next: Top Ten Catchers in Royals History
Ever since Drew Butera came to town, things have been different for the catcher position. He might not be permanent starting catcher material, but Drew Butera has been great in the past week for the Kansas City Royals.