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Royals send catcher Drew Butera to Rockies for minor leaguer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Rockies acquired Drew Butera from the Kansas City Royals on Friday, giving Colorado a veteran backup catcher as they try to chase down the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West.

The Royals received minor league left-hander Jerry Vasto.

Butera was in his fourth season with the Royals, where he served as the backup to six-time All-Star Salvador Perez. He was hitting just .188 with two homers and 18 RBI in 52 games, but will be remembered by Kansas City fans for catching the final out of the Royals' 2015 World Series championship.

Colorado began Friday's games just 1 1/2 games behind the Diamondbacks in the division race.

The 26-year-old Vasto has spent most of this season at Triple-A Albuquerque, going 2-1 with a 3.16 ERA in 37 relief appearances. He made his big league debut on June 10 in a game against Arizona.