The New York Mets placed catcher Luis Torrens on the paternity list on Friday and recalled catcher Joe Hudson from the minors in a corresponding move. Torrens will now be away from the team for the next one to three days, so Hudson will serve as the team's backup behind Francisco Alvarez over the weekend. The 28-year-old Venezuelan took over the backup duties from Tomas Nido this year and has only played in nine games in the Big Apple this year, going 8-for-24 (.333) with three home runs and five RBI in 26 plate appearances. He'll only become relevant in two-catcher leagues if Alvarez misses more time with an injury. In his seven years in the big leagues, Torrens has slashed .230/.292/.366 with 22 homers and 84 RBI.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch will start Friday's series opener against the visiting New York Mets at Wrigley Field on the bench with left-hander Jose Quintana on the mound. In just 26 at-bats against left-handers this year, Busch has eight hits but hasn't gone deep against them. He'll take a seat anyway in favor of Patrick Wisdom, who will start at first and bat fifth against Quintana. Busch is currently riding a eight-game hitting streak in which he's gone 11-for-25 (.440) with a homer, two doubles, three RBI, three walks and six strikeouts in 28 plate appearances. In his first full season in the big leagues in 2024, Busch has provided some decent power as a corner-infield option in deep-mixed leagues with his nine home runs. Wisdom could be a smart sleeper choice for DFS lineups, as he's hitting .286 with a home run and RBI in seven career at-bats against Quintana.

Chicago Cubs infield prospect Matt Shaw extended his hitting streak to seven games on Thursday evening by going 2-for-4 with a double and home run. In this stretch, the former 13th overall pick has been riding a stellar .414/.455/.690 slash line with two home runs. Before he began this streak, he posted a poor .150/.227/.250 line in his previous ten games. It is a great sign to see the top prospect battle through a slump and return to form fairly quickly. The Maryland product has now logged 77 games at Double-A over the past two summers and has a strong chance of being promoted to Triple-A Iowa very soon. Shaw is ranked as the 42nd overall prospect on MLB.com and remains on pace to make his major league debut next summer.

Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski will serve as the opener for Friday's series opener against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. This will be Mlodzinski's third time serving as the team's opener on the year. In his two "starts" in 2024, he's gone 2 2/3 innings while allowing no runs against the Minnesota Twins and Colorado Rockies, with his last start coming on June 14. The 25-year-old won't be a streaming option in fantasy, though, and will most likely be relieved in a bulk role by Luis Ortiz. In his second year in the big leagues for the Pirates, Mlodzinski has gone 1-2 with a 4.42 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with only 17 strikeouts and nine walks in his 18 1/3 innings pitched in 13 appearances. Fantasy managers can continue to ignore him.

Baltimore Orioles second base prospect Connor Norby went 3-for-5 with a home run on Thursday evening. This was his first round-tripper since returning to Triple-A Norfolk on June 13. Norby has only gone hitless once since returning and holds a solid .333/.379/.481 line. Norby only appeared in four major league games during his small debut stint, where he tallied three hits and a home run. Over the past three summers, the former second-round pick has logged 205 games at the Triple-A level and performed exceptionally well with a .294/.365/.501 line with 35 home runs, 137 RBI, and 18 stolen bases. The East Carolina product should be expected to return to the majors later this summer but may be limited in playing time as the Orioles have an abundance of infielders in Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Jorge Mateo, and top prospect Jackson Holliday. Nonetheless, Norby should remain stashed in all dynasty leagues for the foreseeable future.