ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Zach Putnam is skipping his senior season at Michigan to sign with the Cleveland Indians, a franchise with a great reputation for drafting and developing major leaguers.
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The right-hander signed a minor league deal worth about $650,000 Thursday night.
"It's exciting to be part of a club that is known for its homegrown stars," Putnam said. "It gives me a lot of confidence that they want me and it's comforting to know I'm with them."
Cleveland drafted Putnam in the fifth round two months ago and would've lost its rights to him if it didn't sign him by Friday.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Putnam became the first player in conference history to earn two spots on the All-Big Ten team, earning recognition as a pitcher and designated hitter the past two seasons.
The Big Ten pitcher of the year was 9-0 in 12 starts with a 2.58 ERA last season. He struck out 78 and walked 23 over 76 2/3 innings. Over three seasons, he was 23-7 in 36 starts with a 3.12 ERA. Full story
Olivo's ban reduced
CHICAGO -- Miguel Olivo's suspension was reduced from five games to four, and the Kansas City Royals catcher began serving the penalty in a series finale against the Chicago White Sox.
Olivo was fined and suspended after charging the mound during the Royals' 14-3 victory against the White Sox on Aug. 3. His fine also was reduced.
Kansas City manager Trey Hillman said the team will play with 23 players for the time being -- pitcher Zack Greinke served the fourth game of his five-game suspension from the same Aug. 3 fracas. Rookie outfielder Mitch Maier will serve as the team's emergency catcher. Hillman said Maier last caught in a game over four years ago.
Olivo, who learned of the reduction Wednesday night, also will miss the Royals' three-game series with the Yankees starting Friday.
Carpenter to miss start
MIAMI -- St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Chris Carpenter will miss his scheduled start Friday because of a muscle strain in his right shoulder.
An MRI on Tuesday confirmed the strain and showed no damage to his rotator cuff.
Carpenter (0-1) had been scheduled to start at Cincinnati against Bronson Arroyo. Brad Thompson (4-2) will start in Carpenter's place.
Carpenter had elbow reconstruction surgery in July 2007. He injured the shoulder pitching against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday. He left with one out in the sixth after feeling pain throwing a fastball.
Nats reinstate Boone
WASHINGTON -- The Nationals activated infielder Aaron Boone from the 15-day disabled list and inserted him into the starting lineup for the series finale against the New York Mets when Cristian Guzman was unable to play.
Guzman, the shortstop, has been bothered by a thumb injury for several weeks and it flared up during warmups.
Washington manager Manny Acta moved Ronnie Belliard from first base to shortstop and put Boone in at first, batting sixth. Acta said the injury-depleted Nationals can use Boone's help in the final two months.
To open up a spot for Boone, the team placed shortstop Alberto Gonzalez on the DL with a left hamstring strain. The move was made retroactive to Aug. 5.
Dodgers ground Penny
LOS ANGELES -- Opening-day starter Brad Penny was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Los Angeles Dodgers -- a day after being pounded for six runs and six hits in three innings by the Philadelphia Phillies.
The 30-year-old right-hander had been sidelined from June 14 until last Friday night because of tendinitis in his right shoulder. He gave up one run in five innings at San Francisco in his first start after coming off the disabled list, but his second outing was a different story.
Penny, 16-4 with a 3.03 ERA in 33 starts last season, is 6-9 with a 6.05 ERA in 17 starts this year.
The Dodgers also placed right-hander Cory Wade on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to last Saturday, because of inflammation in his right shoulder. Wade is 2-1 with a 2.56 ERA in 40 relief appearances.
Broadway sent back to minors
CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox optioned right-hander Lance Broadway to Triple-A Charlotte, less than an hour after he started and got the win in a 9-2 victory against the Kansas City Royals.
Broadway is 1-0 in two appearances for the White Sox after he was recalled from the minors four days ago.
He pitched 5 1/3 innings Thursday and, after a shaky start, allowed five hits and two runs, both coming in the first inning. Broadway threw 100 pitches.
Broadway is expected to be called back up before the end of the season.
ChiSox, pick reach deal
CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox and first-round pick Gordon Beckham have agreed to a minor league contract that gives the former University of Georgia shortstop a $2.6 million signing bonus.
Beckham, the eighth overall pick in the 2008 amateur draft, will be assigned to Chicago's Class A farm club at Kannapolis, N.C.
The 21-year-old led Georgia to the College World Series, batting .411 with 28 home runs, 22 doubles and 77 RBI. In the best-of-3 championship series against eventual CWS winner Fresno State, Beckham had two home runs and seven hits in 12 at-bats.
Matsui's rehab games postponed
TAMPA, Fla. -- Yankees designated hitter-left fielder Hideki Matsui saw the start of his minor league rehab assignment delayed twice due to rain.
On the disabled list since June 27 with an injured left knee, Matsui was scheduled to DH in a noon game with the Gulf Coast Yankees. But after driving about 80 miles to Kissimmee, Fla., the game against the GCL Braves was postponed by rain.
After returning to the Yankees' spring training complex, Matsui was scheduled to play in a home night game for Class-A Tampa. That game was postponed by wet grounds.
Joba Chamberlain left the Yankees' complex for New York on Thursday after spending a week undergoing treatment for right rotator cuff tendinitis. The right-hander, who hurt his shoulder during a start against Texas on Aug. 4, is expected to start a throwing program Friday.
Nats' prospect signs with AA club
WASHINGTON -- Right-hander Aaron Crow, taken by the Washington Nationals with the ninth overall pick in baseball's amateur draft, has signed with the Fort Worth Cats of the American Association.
The Cats said that the Big 12 pitcher of the year would pitch out of the bullpen unless he agrees to a deal with the Nationals before Friday's midnight deadline for draft picks to sign.
If Washington fails to sign to sign Crow, it would get an extra pick in the first round of the 2009 draft.
Crow was 13-0 with a 2.35 ERA for Missouri last season with 127 strikeouts in 107 1/3 innings.
Cubs prospects suspended
NEW YORK -- Chicago Cubs pitcher Jesse Lebron and second baseman Alexander Mejia, both with the club's Dominican Summer League farm team, were suspended for 50 games each after testing positive under baseball's minor league drug program.
Lebron tested positive for Methandienone metabolites and Mejia for a metabolite of Boldenone.
A total of 29 minor leaguers have received 50-game penalties since July 25, 23 from the Dominican Summer League and four from the Venezuelan Summer League.
Several first-round picks unsigned
NEW YORK -- Ten of baseball's 30 first-round draft picks were unsigned heading into Friday's midnight deadline, including picks two through five.
Among the unsigned first-rounders were five players represented by agent Scott Boras: No. 2 selection Pedro Alvarez (Pittsburgh), No. 3 Eric Hosmer (Kansas City), No. 20 Joshua Fields (Seattle), No. 23 Allan Dysktra (San Diego) and No. 28 Gerrit Cole (New York Yankees).
Other high picks without deals included No. 4 Brian Matusz (Baltimore), No. 5 Buster Posey (San Francisco), No. 7 Yonder Alonso (Cincinnati) and No. 9 Alan Crow (Washington).
The draft deadline began last year, when agreements for 11 first-round picks were announced on the final day.
Giants sign prospect Kieschnick
HOUSTON -- The San Francisco Giants signed third-round draft pick Roger Kieschnick and fourth-round draft pick Brandon Crawford.
Kieschnick, a 21-year-old outfielder, hit .305 with 17 home runs and 65 RBI in 55 games for Texas Tech last season. He's a cousin of former major league player Brooks Kieschnick.
Crawford, a 21-year-old shortstop from UCLA, batted .302 with seven home runs and 51 RBI last season.
The Giants have signed 26 of their first 31 draftees. The deadline for signing picks from the amateur draft is midnight Friday.
Russo out at WFAN
NEW YORK -- Chris Russo has left WFAN-AM, breaking up the sports talk giant's "Mike and the Mad Dog" show two weeks short of its 19th anniversary.
Mike Francesa will become the solo host of the afternoon drive program.
"Mike and Chris pioneered the genre more than 18 years ago and have shaped the sports talk format into what it is today," WFAN operations director Mark Chernoff told Newsday. "We wish Chris nothing but the best and look forward to all that Mike will do in a role in which he has excelled at for years."
"Mike and the Mad Dog" started broadcasting in September 1989. According to winter 2008 data from Arbitron, the show had more than 659,000 cumulative listeners over the course of a week.
