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With Salvy out, Butera is valuable backup

ARLINGTON -- Royals catcher Salvador Perez remained out of the lineup on Sunday with neck stiffness, but the presence of backup catcher Drew Butera is a luxury most teams don't have, manager Ned Yost said.

Yost, a former backup backstop, said Butera is as adept at that role as any catcher he's managed in more than 2,000 games as a skipper.

"I don't think I've had one in all my years where you can put him in a game and feel completely confident that he's going to do the job," Yost said. "You're not missing anything without having Salvy back there.