Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Isaac Paredes is serving as the team's designated hitter and will bat second on Friday versus left-hander Jose Quintana and the visiting New York Mets. Paredes got the day off in the team's last game on Wednesday due to general body soreness, but he's back in there on Friday as the DH. Curtis Mead is starting at third base and is batting in the nine-hole for the Rays. The 25-year-old Paredes should be returned to all fantasy lineups on Friday, as he's hitting a strong .291/.358/.509 on the year with an .867 OPS, seven home runs, 17 RBI and 14 runs scored in 110 at-bats. He's also gone 9-for-27 (.333) in 31 plate appearances against lefties this year and has a hit in his only career at-bat against Quintana.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are activating veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal (foot) from the injured list on Friday and have optioned catcher/outfielder Henry Davis to Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move, according to manager Derek Shelton. Grandal is returning from plantar fasciitis in his left foot and will platoon with Joey Bart being the plate moving forward. The switch-hitting 35-year-old will be making his 2024 debut when he gets into a game, but he'll start on the bench on Friday with Bart getting the start. Davis, the former first overall pick in 2021 out of Louisville, will head to the farm to work on his swing after hitting a miserable .162 (11-for-68) with no home runs, 11 walks and 29 strikeouts in 83 plate appearances.

As expected, Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand (hand) and catcher Tyler Stephenson (hand) are both back in the lineup on Friday against the visiting Baltimore Orioles and left-hander Cole Irvin. Encarnacion-Strand is at first base and batting fifth, while Stephenson is behind the plate and batting cleanup. Both Encarnacion-Strand and Stephenson hadn't played since being hit by pitches last weekend. After hitting 13 homers in 63 games in his rookie season last year, CES has been a disappointment so far in 2024, slashing .196/.222/.314 with two homers and 16 RBI in 25 games. Stephenson will return to a .231/.338/.415 slash line with three homers and 10 RBI. Neither Encarnacion-Strand nor Stephenson have faced Irvin in their careers.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jonny DeLuca (hand) will make his team debut on Friday when the team takes on the visiting New York Mets and left-hander Jose Quintana. The 25-year-old was part of the return in a trade that sent Tyler Glasnow and Manuel Margot to the Los Angeles Dodgers this past offseason. He suffered a broken hand on a hit-by-pitch in spring training but raked on his Triple-A rehab assignment, hitting .300 with two homers, six RBI, a stolen base, and a 1.090 OPS across 25 trips to the plate with the Durham Bulls. DeLuca debuted with a solid .262 average with two homers, a stolen base, and a .740 OPS across 24 games with the Dodgers last season.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Gavin Stone has a tough matchup on his hands on Friday as he takes the mound for a start against the high-octane Atlanta Braves. The 25-year-old has had an uneven start to this season that includes a 4.68 ERA through five starts but was excellent his last time out when he tossed seven innings of one-run ball with just two hits and two walks allowed in a win over the Toronto Blue Jays. However, Stone has just 18 strikeouts and 12 walks surrendered in his 25 innings of work on the season after striking out just 22 across 31 innings in his debut last season. Fantasy managers will continue to look for more punchouts from the righty after posting big-time strikeout totals in his minor-league tenure.