MESA, Ariz. – Seiya Suzuki felt an adrenaline rush the first time he stepped onto Wrigley Field and saw his name on the scoreboards.

Now, he’s less than two weeks from a return to Wrigley Field, this time with fans packed into the stands and a Cubs logo on his chest. But on Friday, after his spring training debut, Suzuki had a practical concern.

“If I keep on striking out like today,” Suzuki said through his interpreter Toy Matsushita, “someone’s going to throw a beer on me someday.”

Suzuki squeezed his arms to his sides and hunched his shoulders to make his six-foot frame as small as possible.

“If someone throws a beer at me, I’m going to be scrunched up in the corner,” he said with a smile.

Suzuki didn’t have to dodge any beer Friday at Sloan Park, during his first game in a Cubs uniform. As he alluded to, he struck out in both his at-bats. But the Cubs understand that Suzuki, a five-time All-Star and gold glover in Japan’s central league, will have an adjustment period as he transitions into Major League Baseball.

Suzuki drew quite the matchup Friday, facing Rockies All-Star German Marquez in the outfielder’s first game-action at-bats against major-league pitching.

That didn’t change Suzuki’s standards. He headed for the batting cages after exiting the game Friday.

“He’s a hard worker,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “Passion about his craft, works really diligently, loves to hit, loves to be around the field, loves to take care of his body. And then, the personality stuff has really stood out. Super fun.”

Suzuki’s sense of humor translated right away.

Ross could attest to that after a week of being his manager. Ross was eating trail mix in the weight room one day, and Suzuki asked if it was chocolate.

After some back and forth, Ross confirmed that there was, indeed, chocolate in it. Suzuki reached over, rubbed Ross’ belly and said, “Chocolate.”

“If that tells you anything, he’s got a really good way about him,” Ross said. “He’s fit in really nicely.”

Suzuki joined Cubs camp a week ago, after signing a five-year, $85 million contract. He’d had a tentative deal in place with the team days before, but he wanted to see Chicago for himself before putting pen to paper.

During Suzuki’s one-night stay, the Cubs set up a tour of Wrigley Field. Suzuki’s Cubs jersey hung in a locker. An image of him in his batting stance, clad in blue pinstripes, loomed on the video boards.

“The stands on top of the apartments, I’ve never seen that before,” Suzuki said. “That’s something that really struck me.”

Suzuki’s major-league ambitions, however, don’t end with playing at Wrigley Field. Suzuki wants the results too.

“That’s what I’m going to work on,” he said.

By Friday, after a week of taking live at-bats during spring training workouts, Suzuki was ready to get into game action.

Ross said he told Suzuki, “It’s just about getting ready, not trying to prove anything to anybody. You’re a piece here, and a big piece for a long time. So, let’s do things the right way.”

The Sloan Park crowd gave Suzuki a warm ovation when his name boomed over the loudspeakers and he stepped up to the plate for the first time. He gave a subtle wave.

Suzuki struck out looking twice. But he wasn’t passive. He swung at the first two pitches he saw, fouling off the first. And after his second third-strike call, he made his thoughts clear with a hand on the hip and tilt of the head.

“I’m very happy to be able to face [Marquez,] especially in my first two at-bats in the major leagues,” Suzuki said. “Just want to get adjusted.”

He hopped into a golf cart on his way out of the stadium and directed it to the batting cages.

“I got pissed off a little bit,” he explained sheepishly, “from those two unfortunate at-bats.”

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PEORIA, Ariz. — Yermin Mercedes’ transition to left field was temporarily derailed when suffered a hamate fracture in his left hand. Mercedes will be out six-to-eight weeks.

Mercedes, scheduled for surgery Monday in Phoenix, broke the bone trying to check a swing in the sixth inning of Thursday’s Cactus League game against the Giants.

Mercedes was something of a sensation during spring training last season, winning a job and carrying the team offensively as a designated hitter during April, when he was named AL Player of the Month. His production plummeted, however, and he spent the second half of the season at Triple-A Charlotte.

Declaring that he has a new team-first mentality, Mercedes was converted from catcher to left field this spring.

Manager Tony La Russa, who had taken Mercedes to task when he missed a take sign and homered on a 3-0 pitch last season, winced when asked about the injury.

“He’s willing to do whatever,” La Russa said. “He was given serious at-bats because he deserved it. And you look at his average, he had some hits. Sometimes there’s no justice.”

Kelly impressive

Don’t forget about right-hander Joe Kelly. The veteran reliever signed to a two-year, $17 million deal on March 14 is feeling fine and throwing well as he slow-rolls it toward the start of the season.

“I’m impressed with what I see this quickly,” La Russa said after watching Kelly throw off a mound for the second time Friday. “Just figured it would take him more time to get there. Good sign for us.”

Kelly said he is two or three weeks behind other White Sox relievers in his throwing progression toward the regular season. He hopes to be pitching for the Sox by the end of April.

Throwing pain free in camp, Kelly is over a nerve issue in his elbow that bothered him last season. But the Sox, familiar with a similar problem Aaron Bummer dealt with late in the 2020 seasons, are choosing to not rush Kelly into action.

“The ball is coming out good for where they expected it to be, the body is moving a lot quicker,” Kelly said. “We’re just making sure we stay with the game plan and don’t push it.”

The Turk

Right-hander Jason Bilous, who was slated for two innings against the Mariners, was one of three players optioned to minors in the first round of roster cuts. Outfielder Blake Rutherford was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte and Bilous and lefty Yoan Aybar, claimed off waivers from the Yankees Thursday, were optioned to Double-A Birmingham.

Catchers Carlos Perez and Xavier Fernandez, infielder Jose Rodriguez, right-hander Kade McClure and Emilio Vargas and left-hander Hunter Schryver were reassigned to minor-league camp.

Fifty players remain in camp.

This and that

Vince Velasquez gets his second start of the spring when the Sox host the Angels and Shohei Ohtani Saturday in Glendale (3:05 p.m., NBCSCH, 1000-AM). Ohtani will be the Angels starting pitcher.

*Outfield prospect Micker Adolfo is 6-for-12 with two homers and five RBI in six Cactus League games.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — Michael Kopech struck out Adam Engel looking twice. He threw a pitch to Zack Collins that sailed high off the screen. And he allowed a homer to Triple-A shortstop Zach Remillard. Collins also lined a shot near the wall in left-center field.

It was a mixed bag for Kopech in his first live batting practice Friday on the backfields of Camelback Ranch, where Kopech is preparing to be a full-time major league starter for the first time.

“Trying to fight through some tiredness,” Kopech said. “Tried to gear up and that’s something I don’t really need to do. I have that gear already. It’s getting back in that starter routine and realizing that going back out for the next inning isn’t a bigger inning than the inning before. Just do what you did before.”

Kopech spent most of the 2021 season pitching in relief. A starter for most of his life before that, he’s now getting reacquainted with the nuances of starting, and high expectations as the Sox look to him to replace Carlos Rodon in the rotation.

To hear that Kopech, who had COVID in late February, delaying his throwing progression heading into camp, raised an eyebrow. But Kopech said it had more to do with getting up and down for the first time this spring.

“It’s an adjustment period right now,” he said.

“I had some early sliders that were good pitches but not really competitive just because of where they were located, and I went back out there and was able to put them in more of a competitive spot. Made some good adjustments, some changes from inning to inning, which is kind of the name of the game when you are starting.”

On Wednesday, Kopech will likely make his first start, against the Rangers at Camelback Ranch, leaving him time for two starts before the season opener and lining up his first start of the season for the first home series against the Mariners.

At that progression, it won’t be a seven inning start. In fact, five could be a reach. So it goes when spring training is only three and a half weeks.

“We’re just going to go outing to outing, inning to inning for him and monitor it that way and see how he’s doing, getting feedback between outings,” pitching coach Ethan Katz said. “It’s kind of like Carlos in the sense that, kind of seeing where he’s at and kind of making the right assessment. And maybe it’s a skipped start at some point and somebody else hops in to give him a little breather. We’ll see how he’s doing.”

Katz likes what he’s seen of Kopech’s changeup this spring, which bodes well. His fastball and slider are premium pitches, and enough to survive with in relief. Starting requires an expanded arsenal.

It was a changeup that sailed off the backstop.

“You try not to overthrow but I try to baby it and it slides out of your hand or whatever the case might be,” he said. “But yeah, it’s just those things you’re not happy with because I’ve been in a better spot with that [pitch] coming into today. There are adjustments I need to make and will make going forward.”

Manager Tony La Russa, who seems to not miss a thing roving from field to field, to the hitting cages and all corners of the complex, watched Kopech intently.

“He was better the second inning,” La Russa said. “A little out of whack, he got on it and got better. [The pitchers] just need to throw more.”

As Kopech said, all pitchers are in a unique situation this spring.

“It’s a slow growth,” he said. “So my build up may not be exactly where I want it to be. I may not be able to go into the season at full capacity or whatever you want to call it but I’ll be able to build up fairly quickly.”

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LOS ANGELES — Reese Johnson has recovered at the perfect time.

With Ryan Carpenter traded Monday to Calgary, the Hawks have turned to Johnson to fill Carpenter’s vacated role as fourth-line center and penalty-killing specialist.

And Johnson, who just returned to action March 19 after missing more than three months recovering from a broken right clavicle, is now healthy and ready for the challenge.

“Every day is a chance to prove something, whether it’s to the [general manager], coaches, fans, other teams,” he said this week. “It’s a privilege to play in this league, so [I’m] looking forward to it.”

Johnson credited Carpenter for “helped me develop into the player I am right now,” teaching him valuable lessons about faceoffs and consistency. But at age 23, he objectively has a better chance to fit into the Hawks’ future than 31-year-old Carpenter did.

“I know we’ve been talking about the rebuild a lot lately, and I think I can be a big part of that,” he said. “A lot of the young guys around here are excited for the opportunity we have. We’re looking to build this thing.”

Johnson’s regular playing time back in the fall was somewhat surprising, considering his lack of AHL production in previous years and initially poor NHL results. The Hawks were outscored 5-0 and endured a 24.6% scoring-chance ratio during Johnson’s even-strength ice time in his first seven games this season.

But he improved substantially once he got in a rhythm. The Hawks outscored opponents 4-2 and enjoyed a 56.6% scoring chance ratio during his even-strength ice time in appearances No. 8 to 18 this season, up until his injury Dec. 11 against the Maple Leafs.

Interim coach Derek King is hoping to see a similar pattern from Johnson this spring. His scoring-chance ratio was an awful 17.6% this week against the Ducks and Kings, although he engaged 12 hits and one fight. If he can calm down some, however, he could be a viable fourth-line center.

“He’s trying to do everything,” King said. “[It’s his] first time back up with us, he wants to make a good impression, but he’s working too hard. He’s got to be patient… He finishes his checks, but then sometimes he forces it where he’s chasing the guy all over the ice trying to bang a body or do something. Where he just needs to play the game the right way and play smart.”

Johnson seems to recognize that, at least.

“One of the biggest [things I’m working on] is just calmness on the ice,” he said. “With my role, it’s tough to stay calm in situations. But there’s a time when you’ve got to dial it up and get on the forecheck and finish checks and things like that, [and] there’s also times when you’ve got to possess the puck and stay patient with it.”

Ripe Raddysh

Taylor Raddysh already looks like a smart find for general manager Kyle Davidson.

The key returning piece in the Brandon Hagel trade has tallied four points in his first four games with the Hawks, entering Saturday’s matchup against the Golden Knights riding a three-game point streak.

Although Hagel did tally his first point for the Lightning on Thursday — a shorthanded goal in Boston — Raddysh has looked every bit an adequate Hagel replacement so far. His ice time has increased from 11:03 per game in Tampa to 15:35 with the Hawks, and his shots-per-game rate has increased from 1.15 with Tampa to 2.5 with the Hawks.

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MESA, Ariz. – The Cubs made 11 spring training camp cuts on Friday, including assigning top prospect Brennen Davis to minor-league camp. Davis was a non-roster invitee.

“He’s made a really good impression,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “Just his movements [in the outfield], he got a lot of at-bats. It’s hard to judge guys off such a short spring training, but you can tell he’s just starting to fill out that body and he looks the part, had a great season last year, and continue to build on that. And hopefully we see him really soon.”

Davis was one of seven non-roster invitees who the Cubs assigned to minor-league camp on Friday, including right-hander Ben Leeper, lefties Conner Menez and Locke St. John, and infielders Dixon Machado, Chase Strumpf and Andy Weber.

The club optioned pitcher Cory Abbott and outfielder Greg Deichmann to Triple-A. Pitchers Brailyn Marquez and Anderson Espinoza are headed to Double-A.

The Cubs also activated right-hander Tommy Nance off the COVID-19 related injured list and designated him for assignment. Nance went from the independent Frontier League to the Cubs’ farm system and made his major-league debut last May at age 30.

He didn’t allow a run in his first 12 appearances but struggled late in the season. Then, a trip to the COVID-19 related IL delayed his start to camp this spring.

After the cuts, the Cubs’ spring training roster stood at 44 players.

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When “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” opened the Metropolitan Opera’s 2021-22 season, it created something of a sensation.

For starters, it was the first opera by a Black composer presented by the New York company, and the cachet of its creators certainly contributed: contemporary jazz legend Terence Blanchard, and librettist Kasi Lemmons, a noted film director and screenwriter.

But more important was the quality of the offering itself. That became readily apparent Thursday evening as Lyric Opera of Chicago opened its gripping take on this 2019 opera, just the second work by a Black composer performed on the company’s main stage.

With a title taken from an evocative phrase in an Old Testament verse, “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” is a sad, harrowing and ultimately redemptive tale based on the best-selling memoir of New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow.

It is a specifically Black story but it is also a universally human story that confronts issues of otherness and psychological trauma, focusing on a “boy of particular grace” in the rural South who struggles desperately to fit in.

Charles is haunted into early adulthood by the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of an older cousin when he is 7 and the shame, anger and loneliness that followed. As the opera opens, he is given an opportunity for bloody revenge. Will he take it? That question hangs menacingly in the air as he looks back at his life.

Lyric’s version of “Fire,” a co-production with the Met and Los Angeles Opera, is co-directed by James Robinson and Camille A. Brown, who deftly give voice to the story’s gritty realism and emotional honesty.

Kudos to the dance scenes, which were originally choreographed by Brown and revived by Jay Staten–the ghostly dance fantasy at the beginning of Act 2 and the high-stomping, show-dance number in the Act 3 college scene.

Allen Moyer’s scenery is simple yet highly effective, relying primarily on transporting black-and-white and color images that are brilliantly deployed by projection designer Greg Emetaz onto three giant screens at the back and sides of the stage and parts of two giant interlocking boxes. At first, the open, barn-wood covered interior of the larger of the two boxes faces the audience with the slightly smaller one inset as its back panel, the whole unit serving as a kind of stage within the stage. Then, the two boxes are constantly rotated and reconfigured, with pieces of furniture and other set pieces added to evocatively set the scenes.

Baritone Will Liverman rises to the vocal and dramatic challenges of the central role of Charles, capturing both the deep pain and quiet toughness of this character and adroitly handling Blanchard’s taut vocal writing.

But as obviously central to this opera as Charles is, much of the story’s emotional heart lies with Billie, his mother, who dominates Act 1. In her Lyric debut, soprano Latonia Moore commands the stage with sure-footed technique, spot-on high notes and nuanced vocal shadings, conveying both Billie’s unstoppable force and poignant disappointments.

Other standouts include Reginald Smith Jr., who makes the most of the minor role of Uncle Paul, with his big, enveloping baritone voice, and tenor Chauncey Packer as Spinner, Billie’s smarmy, two-timing husband.

Opera is a challenging medium because of its collaborative and theatrical nature, but Blanchard, whose Academy Award-nominated compositions were clearly a help, is right at home in this realm.

Steering clear of any avant-garde trappings, he has created a score with depth, complexity and richness. The music, which can be breezy, edgy and tough, is decidedly tonal and classical with a jazz-tinged flair and dashes of gospel and blues along the way.

Blanchard’s most ingenious idea is inserting a kind of jazz quartet into the augmented pit orchestra of nearly 60 musicians, with this foursome functioning much like the continuo in baroque repertoire. Particularly notable is the lively, free-flowing playing of pianist Stu Mindeman and the work of Jeff “Tain” Watts on drum set.

Conductor Daniela Candillari nicely shapes the dramatic flow and emotional contours of this opera and capably handles the changing moods and idiomatic flavor of the music.

Does “Fire” have what it takes to endure? It’s too soon to know. But this is a major, compelling work by one of the most important, new composing voices in opera.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — Don’t forget about White Sox right-hander Joe Kelly. The veteran reliever signed to a two-year, $17 million deal on March 14 is doing fine as he slow-rolls it toward the start of the season.

Kelly said he is two or three weeks behind other White Sox relievers in his throwing progression toward the regular season. He hopes to be pitching for the Sox by the end of April.

Throwing pain free in camp, Kelly is over a nerve issue in his elbow that bothered him last season. But the Sox, familiar with a similar problem Aaron Bummer dealt with late in the 2020 seasons, are choosing to not rush Kelly into action.

“The ball is coming out good for where they expected it to be, the body is moving a lot quicker,” said Kelly, who was scheduled to throw his second bullpen on Friday. “We’re just making sure we stay with the game plan and don’t push it.”

Kelly “gets jumpy” being asked to hold back but is trusting the process.

“It’s something they’ve been through with Bummer and know what to do, so just follow their lead,” he said.

When Kelly pitches live batting practice and gets into a Cactus League will depend on passing the eye test with coaches and trainers, he said.

One of the Sox’ big investments in their expensive bullpen featuring Craig Kimbrel ($16 million in 2022), Liam Hendriks ($13 million), Kendall Graveman ($8 million) and Bummer ($2.5 million), Kelly signed a two-year, $17 million contract, which includes a club option for the 2024 season on March 14. He posted a 2.86 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over 48 relief appearances last season with the Dodgers.

A groundball pitcher with 27.5% strikeout rate, Kelly features a fastball that averaged 97.8 mph last season, a lot of oomph emerging from his 6-1, 174-pound frame. That fastball velocity tied for ninth-highest among pitchers with at least 40 innings.

The 2022 readings will have to wait a bit, though. Kelly, 33, said Opening Days and playoffs — Kelly has appeared in 40 postseason games with the Cardinals, Red Sox and Dodgers — are special “and you only get to be part of so many” so watching it from a distance won’t be easy.

“We’re just making sure I don’t push it too hard,” Kelly said.

“Things are what they are. We’ll have our time and it’ll be a fun year.”

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CLEVELAND — DeMar DeRozan had no problem playing sideline therapist for Zach LaVine during the latest black-eye freshly imprinted on the face of the Bulls.

As Thursday’s game in New Orleans was slipping away, DeRozan knew that LaVine had reached a boiling point of frustration, and tried to calm him down, or at least get him refocused.

The All-Star guard claimed DeRozan’s talk worked, but it still didn’t change the outcome.

With just nine regular-season games left, and the Bulls in jeopardy of losing a grasp of the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, it might take more than Dr. DeRozan to right this ship.

“It’s frustrating,” LaVine said of his team’s recent dismal play. “Obviously we’re trying to figure out just how to get back in a rhythm. No one is going to help us. We’ve done enough trying to pep talk and rally, get guys’ spirits up. Stop talking and get it done, start playing the right way to win these games.”

That’s because LaVine has been around long enough to know what’s at stake.

Short-term? Hopefully a strong finish, a playoff push, and then see where the chips fall. But long-term, how these final few weeks play out could not only dictate the future of this Bulls roster, but even LaVine’s future.

If LaVine & Co. can get back to the identity they showed in November and December, make a second-round playoff push, and be a tough out, it’s much easier for executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas to look at the few games this core group did actually play with each other, feel good that injuries dictated results, and let’s call out “next” and run it back.

But if there’s an early exit in the first round, or even worse a continued slide into a play-in game that leads to an early exit, well, injuries or not, Karnisovas would really have to rethink what this offseason needs to look like.

The good news is that Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley have shown a creativity that the last regime couldn’t even fathom.

That could be tested this summer.

A continued downward spiral would obviously lead to questions about the three core pieces in LaVine, DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic.

Vucevic might be the most attractive piece to move on from, simply because his deal goes from $24 million this season down to $22 million, and would be expiring. If the Bulls could land a more defensive-minded center like a Rudy Gobert or even get in on a bid for restricted free agent Deandre Ayton, one of those moves alone would seemingly fix a lot of the defensive issues.

Ayton can switch on anyone, while Gobert would give DeRozan and LaVine the rim protection they would need on that end of the court.

Gobert is locked into a max contract that goes through the 2025-26 season, and starts hitting that eye-opening $40-plus million a year in 2023-24, but he’s still only 29 years old.

There have been rumblings in Utah that the Gobert-Donovan Mitchell duo could be starting to rot, so maybe a Vucevic and Coby White for Gobert would be possible.

But what about LaVine? He’s due the max this summer, putting him in that five-year, $200 million area code if he signs with the Bulls, and four years at about $160 million if he goes elsewhere. Could the left knee soreness be a bigger deterrent than expected? Maybe Karnisovas goes the sign-and-trade route with LaVine.

Either way, the poor play over the last month has now brought way more questions about this roster moving forward than was expected when the Bulls sat atop the Eastern Conference as the surprise team of the season.

“Obviously teams start buckling down and looking at what you do and don’t do, and we’ve gotta start getting back to our brand of basketball,” LaVine said. “It’s frustrating but we gotta start figuring out what our weaknesses are and cover them up.”

The future of this roster might depend on that.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — Don’t forget about White Sox right-hander Joe Kelly. The veteran reliever signed to a two-year, $17 million deal on March 14 is doing fine as he slow-rolls it toward the start of the season.

Kelly said he is two or three weeks behind other White Sox relievers in his throwing progression toward the regular season and hopes to join the team two or three weeks into it. He hopes to be pitching for the Sox by the end of April.

Throwing pain free in camp, Kelly is over a nerve issue in his elbow that bothered him last season. But the Sox, familiar with a similar problem Aaron Bummer dealt with late in the 2020 seasons, are choosing to not rush Kelly into action.

“The ball is coming out good for where they expected it to be, the body is moving a lot quicker,” said Kelly, who was scheduled to throw his second bullpen on Friday. “We’re just making sure we stay with the game plan and don’t push it.”

Kelly “gets jumpy” being asked to hold back but is trusting the process.

“It’s something they’ve been through with Bummer and know what to do, so just follow their lead,” he said.

When Kelly pitches live batting practice and gets into a Cactus League will depend on passing the eye test with coaches and trainers, he said.

One of the Sox’ big investments in their expensive bullpen featuring Craig Kimbrel ($16 million in 2022), Liam Hendriks ($13 million), Kendall Graveman ($8 million) and Bummer ($2.5 million), Kelly signed a two-year, $17-million contract, which includes a club option for the 2024 season on March 14. He posted a 2.86 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over 48 relief appearances last season with the Dodgers.

A ground-ball pitcher with 27.5 percent strikeout rate, Kelly feaures a fastball that averaged 97.8 mph last season, a lot of oomph emerging from his 6-1, 174-pound frame. That fastball velocity tied for ninth-highest among pitchers with at least 40 innings.

The 2022 readings will have to wait a bit, though. Kelly, 33, said Opening Days and playoffs — Kelly has appeared in 40 postseason games with the Cardinals, Red Sox and Dodgers — are special “and you only get to be part of so many” so watching it from a distance won’t be easy.

“We’re just making sure I don’t push it too hard,” Kelly said.

“Things are what they are. We’ll have our time and it’ll be a fun year.”

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