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.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have called up pitching prospect Carmen Mlodzinski from Triple-A Indianapolis. The right-hander made his debut last season out of the bullpen and registered an impressive 2.25 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 36 innings for the Bucco's. His 2024 campaign got off to a slow start as he was dealing elbow inflammation, but he has struggled with Triple-A Indianapolis in his recovery. For Indianapolis, Mlodzinski has allowed 10 runs in 14 innings. For now, managers in all formats can leave the right-hander on the waiver wire.