Jose Fernandez was upbeat and ready to go when he took the hill Thursday, but shortly after stepping on the mound, the 21-year-old thought of fellow Cuban Aroldis Chapman and the danger of getting hit by a comebacker.

Extension talks between All-Star starter Justin Masterson and the Indians have ceased for the time being.

Yasiel Puig will bat leadoff, Justin Turner will bat second starting at second base and Scott Van Slyke will be the left fielder when the Dodgers open the regular season Saturday against Arizona at Sydney Cricket Ground.

Reds closer Aroldis Chapman will undergo surgery Thursday to repair facial fractures suffered from getting struck in the face by a line drive Wednesday night. He will be out until at least May, but he is expected to return this season.

David Ortiz went 0-for-2 in Thursday night’s loss to the Yankees and is now hitting .063 in Spring Training. However, that does not rank as a concern for the Red Sox.

When the conversation turns to baseball’s best pitchers, here’s a name that shouldn’t be overlooked, but often is: Jered Weaver.

In any discussion of the Chicago Cubs, the most pleasant time is still the future. At least now, the Cubs are in a place from which the future can be glimpsed.

In the wake of Reds closer Aroldis Chapman being hit in the face by a line drive in a scary moment that has been seen on video around the world, the safety of pitchers is back on the forefront.

With Opening Day fast approaching, D-backs beat reporter Steve Gilbert sat down with Dodgers beat reporter Ken Gurnick to answer some questions from fans. They took the most asked ones and turned them into an Inbox. Some are about the Opening Series in Australia while others deal with each team.

Third baseman Nolan Arenado was disappointed he wasn’t called up after his season at Double-A in 2012, and again at the end of Spring Training last year when he was sent to Triple-A. He’s used that as motivation to become a Gold Glove winner.

The Reds’ workout was completed on Thursday morning, ahead of their scheduled exhibition game against the Rangers in the afternoon — but it still wasn’t an easy day with thoughts about closer Aroldis Chapman overshadowing the team complex.

The Angels have traded Mike Scioscia’s son for Wayne Gretzky’s son. Outfield prospect Trevor Gretzky, the son of the greatest hockey player of all time, was dealt Thursday from the Cubs to the Angels in exchange for first-base prospect Matt Scioscia, the son of the Angels’ longtime manager and former Dodgers catcher.

Letting Mitch Moreland play on Opening Day against Phillies lefty Cliff Lee would reaffirm what Rangers manager Ron Washington already knows. Moreland, hitting in the No. 6 spot as the primary designated hitter, could be the difference between Texas having a good lineup and a great one.

During his first week with the Braves, Ervin Santana has assumed the appearance of a man who is not fazed by too many things.

Jose Iglesias has been diagnosed with stress fractures in both legs, an ailment that is expected to leave the Tigers without their slick-fielding shortstop for at least five months. The team confirmed the news on Thursday, a few days after Iglesias first revealed the news to reporters.

Wade Miley is not going to celebrate something that came at the expense of a friend, but with Patrick Corbin all but certainly lost for the season, the left-hander will fill in as Arizona’s Opening Day starter in Australia.

Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig slugged his first home run of the exhibition season and threw a runner out at the plate as the Dodgers edged Team Australia Thursday night, 4-2, in their final tuneup for the Opening Series against Arizona.