The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SEPTEMBER 2016 THE WOLVERINE 81 MICHIGAN IN THE PROS jumpers, so I'm a couple of weeks away." LeVert isn't certain of his role, but he's confident his hard work will put him in the mix to play. Even though he's been cleared medically, he still has a lot ahead of him. "Rome wasn't built in a day. We know it's going to take some time, and I'm here for the long haul," LeVert said. "I'm glad they took a chance on me. I'm all invested and I'm all in." Major League Baseball ZACH PUTNAM HAS SURGERY, DONE FOR THE YEAR Chicago White Sox reliever and for- mer Wolverine Zach Putnam went to the disabled list June 21 with elbow trouble. At that point, he was hope- ful he could return without having to undergo surgery. "We are going to give it the old col- lege try to see if we can get through the rest of the season without having to do a procedure," Putnam told MLB. com. "[If I] come back and it hasn't improved at all, or I continue to have a lot of discomfort, then we may have to re-address it at that time." That time came Aug. 4, The Daily Herald reported. Putnam underwent an arthroscopic procedure to remove bone chips in the same area in which he had surgery in 2013. Problems in his June 19 outing in Cleveland and a June 20 performance in Boston, in which he walked the bases loaded in the ninth with nobody out, caused him to come forward. "I started having some pretty seri- ous issues again that I couldn't ig- nore," Putnam said. "It's one of those things where you've got to try to find the line between what you can work through and what's typical reliever stuff, and when to say something. I felt like, in my opinion, that it was definitely time to speak up. "It was starting to become an issue. I was having a hard time throwing strikes, losing some feeling in my fin- gers." Putnam finished his season 1-0 with a 2.30 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 27 1/3 innings. CLAYTON RICHARD CUT BY CHICAGO, SIGNED BY SAN DIEGO The Chicago Cubs released for- mer Michigan pitcher Clayton Rich- ard Aug. 3 after he posted a 0-1 re- cord with a 6.43 ERA in 14 innings pitched, but he wasn't on the market long. His former team, the San Diego Padres, picked him up a day later and started pitching him Aug. 6. Richard signed a one-year, $2 mil- lion contract with the Cubs before the season. The San Diego Union Tribune reports that the Padres will pay him a prorated portion of the major league minimum. "When you look for veterans, you want positive influences on young guys," Padres manager Andy Green said. "… Clayton Richard is that. And also, when you look at veter- ans, you want guys that have length and can kind of cover young guys to make sure that they're not put in situations where they're throwing more innings than you want them to. "… Clayton Richard has the pos- sibility of starting. He can go long, he can come out of the bullpen. … I think probably at some point in time you'll see him on the mound in a starting capacity, too, because he's got that in his arsenal. So, we're ex- cited to have kind of the guy that can do absolutely everything for us." Richard pitched for the Padres from 2009-13, going 40-39 with a 4.16 ERA in 108 games (107 starts). He was limited by a knee injury earlier this season. "Playing with the team I grew up watching on TV and getting an op- portunity there, it was terrific," said Richard, an Indiana native. "I really appreciated the opportunities they gave me there, and I'm excited for the new one here. … Come back, hopefully help out some; be able to be a sounding board for some guys, if anyone has questions. Whatever I can do to help, I'll be excited to help. "In baseball, that's all you can ask for — an opportunity — and then you try to make the most of it. I've been preparing for a starter 's role, knowing that I'll be in the bullpen and hopefully have an opportunity to start down the road. I don't know how that works out, but I'll be pre- pared for whatever comes my way." Richard stood 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA in his first three games with the Pa- dres (6 1/3 innings pitched) as of Aug. 15. RICH HILL TRADED TO LOS ANGELES, BATTLING INJURY Former Michigan pitcher Rich Hill hadn't made a start since July 17, but that didn't prevent the Oakland Ath- letics from trading for him Aug. 1. Blister problems on his throwing hand prevented him from throwing for weeks in Oakland, where he went 9-3 with a 2.25 ERA, 90 strikeouts and 28 walks. "I'm making really good progress, it's calloused over," Hill told MLB.com in early August. "It ripped completely open, not a common blister … it went really deep. Everything is moving in the right direction, and I'm confident I'll be ready shortly." Hill was originally scheduled to start Aug. 7 against Boston, but a second blister pushed him back to Friday against Pittsburgh, The Los Angeles Times reported. He was then set for a rehabilitation start for Tri- ple-A Oklahoma City Aug. 15 and to pitch for the Dodgers in Cincin- nati Aug. 19, but instead he'll pitch Aug. 22 at Cincinnati or Aug. 23 against San Francisco. "We've come this far by being cau- tious, and every day is a benefit to- ward the healing process," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "When you get into Cincinnati with that hu- midity … a lot of different variables played into this scenario for us." MLB NOTES • Former Michigan outfielder Ryan La- Marre, now with the Boston Red Sox organization, was sent back to Triple-A Pawtucket in July following the All-Star break. He played in five games, going 0 for 5 with a run scored and one walk before being sent down. ❏ Richard was not a free agent for long after being released by the Chicago Cubs; the San Diego Padres picked him up a day later. PHOTO COURTESY SAN DIEGO PADRES