CHICAGO | Royals catcher Miguel Olivo figured it was the best deal he could get.</p><p>&#8220;I knew I was going to get suspended,&#8221; he said, &#8220;and I needed to get this over with. I&#8217;ll get ready to play (Tuesday) in Cleveland.&#8221;</p><p>Olivo began serving a four-game suspension Thursday after a negotiated agreement with Major League Baseball trimmed one game from the original ban and sliced his $2,000 fine to $1,000.</p><p>The Royals opted not to replace Olivo on their roster and will instead use outfielder Mitch Maier as an emergency backup to John Buck through the three-game weekend series in New York.</p><p>Maier was drafted as a catcher in 2003 but hasn&#8217;t played the position since his first professional season.</p><p>&#8220;I guess, if need be in an emergency, I&#8217;ll catch,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I hope it doesn&#8217;t happen. But if need be, I&#8217;ll go back there and do what I can do.&#8221;</p><p>Olivo&#8217;s suspension stems from igniting an on-field scrum Aug. 3 against the White Sox by charging the mound after being hit with a pitch by reliever D.J. Carrasco. Olivo, Carrasco and Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen were ejected for the incident.</p><p>Royals pitcher Zack Greinke and manager Trey Hillman were ejected two innings later when Greinke hit Nick Swisher in apparent retaliation.</p><p>Major League Baseball took no action against Carrasco but imposed fines and five-game suspensions on Olivo and Greinke. Hillman and Guillen received one-game suspensions and fines.</p><p>&#8220;I protected myself,&#8221; Olivo insisted. &#8220;They threw at me, and I charged the mound. Things happen in baseball. The thing is, the White Sox are the team I came up with. I have a lot of friends over there. I don&#8217;t have anything against them.&#8221;</p><p>Greinke initially appealed his suspension and $1,500 fine. He later dropped his appeal and began serving his ban Sunday. His suspension concludes after tonight&#8217;s game, and he is scheduled to start Saturday at Yankee Stadium.</p><p>Olivo&#8217;s suspension is his second of the season. He missed the first four games because of a ban imposed for his part in an on-field brawl last September while playing for the Florida Marlins against the New York Mets.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not happy at all,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I can&#8217;t play. They threw at me, and I reacted. I wasn&#8217;t the first one to do that, and I won&#8217;t be the last one.&#8221;</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Maier on call</span></strong></p><p>Maier auditioned for his role as emergency catcher by handling Greinke&#8217;s regular between-starts throwing session Wednesday.</p><p>&#8220;He looked just fine,&#8221; Hillman said. &#8220;As far as live catching action, it&#8217;s been going on five years for him. He looked good receiving, and I emphasized it would be in an emergency situation only.&#8221;</p><p>Maier was an All-America catcher at Toledo when the Royals selected him as the 30th overall pick in the 2003 draft. He caught that year at Spokane but switched in 2004 to third base. He became a full-time outfielder in 2005.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not quite like riding a bike,&#8221; Maier acknowledged, &#8220;but when I caught the bullpen (workout), the receiving stuff was fine. I didn&#8217;t have any problem as far as catching pitches.</p><p>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t do any blocking or throwing drills. But as far as the receiving part, that went fine.&#8221;</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">DeJesus sits</span></strong></p><p>Two days of weak at-bats landed outfielder David DeJesus on the bench for Thursday&#8217;s finale in hopes that a respite will aid his sore lower back.</p><p>&#8220;There&#8217;s definitely a lack of focus in what David is swinging at,&#8221; Hillman said, &#8220;and I think most of that goes back to how he&#8217;s feeling.&#8221;