Dan Butler (baseball)

Daniel John Butler (born October 17, 1986) is an American professional baseball catcher who is currently a free agent. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Boston Red Sox in 2014.

Boston Red Sox
Butler was signed by the Boston Red Sox as an undrafted free agent in 2009 out of University of Arizona, where he hit a .263 batting average with three home runs and 18 RBIs in 27 games as a senior for the Arizona Wildcats baseball team, and was selected to the Cape Cod League All-Star team.

Butler made his professional debut in 2009 with the Lowell Spinners of the Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League being promoted to the Salem Red Sox of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League late in the season. Then, in 2010 he topped the Red Sox minor league system with a .310 average and an .893 OPS during stops for the Greenville Drive of the Class A South Atlantic League (SAL), once more Salem, and the Pawtucket Red Sox of the Class AAA International League. While at Salem, he led all Carolina League catchers with a .995 fielding percentage. He also threw out 35.5 percent (49-of-138) of attempted base stealers across three different Minor League levels. He was named a SAL All-Star.

Butler batted a combined .241 with 12 home runs and 71 RBI in 2011, while playing again for Salem, the Portland Sea Dogs of the Class AA Eastern League, and Pawtucket. In 2012, he divided his playing time between Portland and Pawtucket, collecting a .247 average with nine homers and 37 RBI in 95 games.

In 2013, his first full year at Triple A, he hit .262 with a career-high 14 home runs and 45 RBIs in 84 games, leading Pawtucket with a .479 slugging percentage. In a team-high 72 games behind the plate, he threw out 25 of 82 (30.5 percent) would-be base stealers, led the International League catchers with 54 assists, and was named the PawSox team MVP.

In 2014, Butler entered his sixth season in the organization as one of the five catchers on the Boston Red Sox' 40-man roster. It also marked his third Major League spring training camp with the big league team. The Red Sox promoted Butler to the major leagues on August 2, 2014, due to an injury to David Ross. On August 10, 2014, Butler made his MLB debut with the Red Sox as the starting catcher against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Anaheim. He batted ninth in the lineup catching starter Rubby De La Rosa. Butler is familiar with De La Rosa from his time in AAA Pawtucket with the Pawtucket Red Sox.

Butler was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on January 6, 2015.

Washington Nationals
Butler was traded to the Washington Nationals on January 14, 2015, in exchange for Danny Rosenbaum. He elected free agency on November 6.

Return to Boston
On January 14, 2016, Butler signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox with an invitation to spring training. In December 2016, Butler signed another minor league contract with Boston. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.