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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.

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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.

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The Houston Astros are recalling outfield prospect Joey Loperfido from Triple-A Sugar Land ahead of Friday's series opener against the Baltimore Orioles, according to a source. Loperfido made his major-league debut earlier this year and held his own with a .333/.381/.436 slash line with an .817 OPS, a homer, double, five RBI and a stolen base in just 15 games played. He could have extended run in the big leagues this time around. The 25-year-old has plenty of power and speed to make him worth a look in mixed fantasy leagues as long as he's playing, but beware that his high strikeout rate probably means his average will eventually come down. Loperfido hit .272 (44-for-162) with 13 homers, 33 RBI and nine steals at Sugar Land in 39 games and is Houston's No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.

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New York Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil will take a seat on the bench on Friday against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field with left-hander Shota Imanaga on the mound. Given McNeil's struggles this year, he's now fallen into the strong side of a platoon at the keystone in New York with veteran Jose Iglesias, who is at second and batting eighth on Friday against Imanaga. McNeil is hitting just .219/.286/.305 with three home runs, 15 RBI, three stolen bases and 27 runs scored in 233 at-bats in 2024. He's actually been better against left-handers, going 18-for-72 (.250) against them with one of his three home runs, while he's batting .205 against right-handers. The two-time All-Star has taken a hard fall this year after winning a batting title in 2022 with the Mets.

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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.

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New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Gil got roughed up in Thursday's loss versus the Baltimore Orioles. The right-hander entered the contest as part of the AL Cy Young discussion, but the Orioles weren't bothered by that and knocked him out of the game after recording four outs. In his brief time on the mound, Gil allowed eight hits, seven runs, two walks and struck out one. Gil has been so dominant this season that he was due for a bad outing, so managers should not be worried about his bump in the road. With his bumpy start, Gil still owns an impressive 2.77 ERA as he gets ready to face the New York Mets next week.

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Texas Rangers infield prospect Justin Foscue (oblique) went 1-for-2 with two walks for Triple-A Round Rock on Thursday. The 25-year-old saw his rehab assignment moved to Triple-A as he continues to progress in his return from an oblique strain. Foscue had just gotten the call-up to the Rangers when he suffered his injury in early April. The No. 2 prospect for Texas is a pure hitter with good plate discipline. As he continues his rehab assignment it will be interesting to see if a spot opens for him at the major league level. First, he will have to show he is back to full health, but any potential return to the big leagues could be in a utility role.

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Milwaukee Brewers outfield prospect Garrett Mitchell (hand) was 2-for-4 with an inside-the-park home run for Triple-A Nashville on Thursday. On a rehab assignment, Mitchell is hitting .269 with three homers and six RBI in six games for Nashville. The 25-year-old is rounding back into form after missing a good portion of the season with a fractured bone in his left hand. If he has a few more games like the one on Thursday, he should push for a return to Milwaukee soon. His plus speed makes him an intriguing waiver-wire addition in leagues of all sizes upon his return to the Brewers.

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Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson earned his fourth quality start of the season versus the Tampa Bay Rays in a no-decision on Thursday. Woods Richardson tossed six innings and allowed four hits, two runs, two walks and struck out six on the afternoon. The former Top-100 prospect didn't have much hype entering the 2024 season, but he has become a member of the Twins rotation and performed well in the role. He has had some bumps in the road along the way, but overall is 2-1 with a respectable 3.26 ERA in 12 starts. The right-hander doesn't offer enough strikeouts to be a must-roster, but he can still be valuable in deeper mixed and strong streaming option in the right matchups. Woods Richardson is lined up to face the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday followed by the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox, giving him three favorable matchups before the All-Star break.

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San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado went 2-for-3 with three RBI and a walk in Thursday's victory versus the Milwaukee Brewers. Machado's first hit of the game came in the bottom of the first inning when he sent a pitch from Bryse Wilson 348-feet for his seventh homer of the season. Machado has been a bit banged up this season, recently missing a few games with a hip injury. For the season, Machado is now hitting .253 with seven homers, 36 RBI and five stolen bases. Machado's .684 OPS is a career low for the six-time All-Star, with injuries likely the biggest cause for that. Regardless, Machado has still had a solid season and should remain rostered in all formats.

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San Diego Padres infielder Jake Cronenworth went 2-for-5 with two run and a home run in Thursday's victory versus the Milwaukee Brewers. Cronenworth's biggest hit of the night was the biggest of the game as he hit a 401-foot home run off Joel Payamps to the bleachers to win the contest. The versatile infielder has spent most of his time at second base this season and has recovered well after a disappointing 2023 campaign. He has now topped his home run total from last season and is hitting .254 with 11 homers and 47 RBI and should be rostered in most formats.

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San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. went 4-for-5 with two runs and a solo home run in Thursday's victory versus the Milwaukee Brewers. Tatis absolutely crushed a 446-foot homer off Bryse Wilson in the bottom of the fifth inning that had an exit velocity of 111.8 MPH. Tatis continues to be one of the best offensive players in the world, while putting a big smile on managers' faces that drafted him this season. On the year, Tatis is now hitting .280 with 14 homers, 36 RBI and eight stolen bases. Managers should continue to enjoy rostering one of the best players in the game.

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Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson continued him MVP campaign on Thursday versus the division rival New York Yankees. Henderson went 3-for-5 with a walk, three runs and RBI in a 17-5 victory. Unlike Corbin Carroll in Arizona, there has been no sophomore slump for Henderson and if anything, the 22-year-old has improved off his notable rookie campaign. Henderson wasn't a first-round pick in drafts coming into the season, but he has returned top-10 value with a .279 batting average that is accompanied by 22 homers, 50 RBI and 12 stolen bases. Henderson continues to not only be valuable in redraft leagues, but should be an asset for years to come in dynasty leagues.

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Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle went 3-for-6 with a walk in a 17-5 victory against the division rival New York Yankees on Thursday. The first baseman also drove in four runs in the contest. Mountcastle has never been a sexy name in the fantasy world, but he continues to put up solid numbers on a yearly basis. The 27-year-old got off to a slow start, but turned his season around as he has been on fire the past month with a .311 batting average to go along with five homers and 19 RBI. Mountcastle should continue to get the job done for managers, but he also makes for a good sell-high candidate as this stretch will probably be the best of his season. Regardless, Mountcastle should be rostered in most formats with the way he has been hitting the ball.

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Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Carson Williams launched his first home run since returning from the injured list on Thursday. The 15th-ranked prospect in baseball on MLB.com was sidelined for just over a week due to a hand injury. Williams has performed very well in his first extended look at Double-A ball this season as he holds a .294/.380/.554 slash line with 11 home runs, 29 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. Last summer at High-A Bowling Green, the 20-year-old posted a .254/.351/.506 line with 23 home runs, 77 RBI, and 17 stolen bases. It is great to see Williams not just decline at Double-A but also improve on last year's production. MLB.com predicts the former 28th overall pick to reach the majors next season, but a late-season call-up is not out of the question due to how well he has performed.

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Seattle Mariners catching prospect Harry Ford has continued to perform well at Double-A Arkansas. Ford struggled in the first month of the season with a .218 AVG but has put those results behind him as he has posted a .287 AVG ever since. In his past seven games, the former 12th overall pick has held a stellar .409/.517/.409 slash line with three stolen bases and a 5:6 BB:K ratio. Overall, in his first look at Double-A ball, the number 27 overall prospect on MLB.com has stolen 18 bases, hit five home runs, and posted a .263/.388/.399 slash line. Ford spent the entirety of last summer with High-A and held a .257/.410/.430 line with 15 long balls and 24 stolen bases. While his power has yet to show at Double-A, his elite speed has. Ford is considered one of the best catching prospects in all of baseball and should make his major league debut next season.

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Toronto Blue Jays starting pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann (elbow) made his second rehab appearance on Thursday evening and is nearing the end of his recovery process from inflammation in his ulnar nerve. Tiedemann made his first appearance in the Florida Complex League on June 14 and recorded only one out with three earned runs and two hits. However, in his most recent outing on Thursday with Single-A, the top prospect in Toronto looked sharp as he tossed two clean innings with four punchouts. The number 38th ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline and second among left-handed pitchers has showcased elite strikeout potential throughout his time in the minors. Last season, he struck out 58 batters in 32 frames at Double-A and 54 in the 37 frames at High-A the year prior. The 21-year-old will most likely be optioned to Triple-A once completing his rehab assignment and should contend for a major league debut in the second half of the season. He should be rostered in all dynasty and keeper formats and could be worth stashing in deeper redraft leagues once he returns to Triple-A.

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Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder James Outman went 2-for-5 with a home run Thursday evening. In his past seven games at Triple-A Oklahoma City, the 27-year-old has launched three long balls and held a strong .594 SLG. The Sacramento State product was demoted to Triple-A on May 27 after getting off to a slow start in the majors. Through his time in the minors this season, Outman has performed exceptionally well with a .291/.419/.563, seven long home runs, five swiped bags, 18 RBI, and a 19:31 BB:K ratio. In 36 games in the majors in the early part of the season, Outman struggled with a .147/.250/.266 line, which is why he was optioned. However, with his recent play at Triple-A he could rejoin the Dodgers fairly soon and could be worth adding in deeper redraft leagues as he should provide a solid combination of power and speed.

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Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Chris Stratton came in for the last two outs of a 3-2 win over the Oakland Athletics, picking up his fourth save in the process. Stratton came in with runners at first and second with one out in the ninth and retired both A's hitters to escape the jam. Usual closer James McArthur was used to escape a jam in the seventh, so he was unavailable. Based on McArthur's recent usage, it looks like the Royals could be moving to a committee approach in their bullpen. McArthur would likely still be the most likely to get saves if that were to happen, but they would certainly be spread out more evenly and would make for a frustrating situation for fantasy managers.

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Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo was solid against the Oakland Athletics on Thursday, pitching into the seventh inning and picking up his 12th quality start of the year in a 3-2 win. Lugo cruised through six innings before running into trouble in the seventh, where he allowed a two-out, two-run homer. The 34-year-old allowed six hits and three walks while striking out eight in his 6 IP. He hasn't been quite as good in June as he was in April and May, but he has still pitched at least six innings in all four June starts and has given up only two runs in two of those starts. He remains a solid pitcher for fantasy but should still be considered a sell-high, especially after a good start like this one.

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