Morel is out of the lineup again Wednesday versus the Angels.
It's the second straight absence for Morel, who has fallen into a 1-for-25 rut since his explosive couple of weeks in May. Trey Mancini is serving as the Cubs' designated hitter Wednesday and Mike Tauchman will patrol center field.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: On bench amid slump
Rotowire
Morel is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Angels.
Mike Tauchman is playing center field and Miguel Amaya will take a turn as the Cubs' designated hitter. Morel still boasts strong overall numbers, but he's gone hitless with eight strikeouts over his last 22 plate appearances.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: Out of lineup Saturday
Rotowire
Morel is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Padres.
Morel has not picked up a hit since May 26 against the Reds, and he's seen his average drop from .333 to .270 in the process. Edwin Rios will be the designated hitter and hit seventh against San Diego while Morel sits.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: Hits bench again Wednesday
Rotowire
Morel is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.
The slumping Morel will head to the bench for the second time in the series, opening up a spot in the lineup for Miles Mastrobuoni at second base while Nico Hoerner gets a day out of the field and serves as the Cubs' designated hitter. After slugging nine home runs and driving in 15 runs in his first 12 games with the Cubs following his promotion from Triple-A Iowa on May 8, Morel has gone 1-for-17 with seven strikeouts and one walk over his last five starts.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: Getting day off
Rotowire
Morel is absent from the lineup for Monday's game versus the Rays.
It's a day off for Morel after he had started each of the previous 17 contests. Morel has finally started to slow down a bit in recent days, going 1-for-14 with five strikeouts across his last four games. Edwin Rios will be the designated hitter Monday in place of Morel.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: Keeps power surge going
Rotowire
Morel went 1-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and two runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Mets.
Morel continued his incredible power surge, as he now has nine home runs in just 12 games this season. While this level of production has been unexpected, the youngster did record 16 home runs in 113 games as a rookie last year, so this isn't completely out of thin air. Morel is highly unlikely to keep this pace up, but he could be a strong fantasy contributor the rest of the way.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: Homers again
Rotowire
Morel went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's loss against the Phillies.
Morel has hit safely in all 11 games since he was recalled from Triple-A. He's now 17-for-46 with eight home runs and a staggering 1.353 OPS with the Cubs this season. While his current pace isn't sustainable, Morel has certainly earned a regular role in Chicago and should be rostered in all fantasy formats.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: Sleeper hitters for Week 9 (May 22-28)
Rotowire
So far, Christopher Morel has hit so many home runs that the strikeouts haven't mattered, and the Cubs have occasionally even batted him leadoff. Matchups against Tylor Megill, Carlos Carrasco, Brandon Williamson and Graham Ashcraft this week make him a reasonable bet to keep rolling.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: Goes yard again Friday
Rotowire
Morel went 1-for-4 with a walk, a two-run home run and two additional runs scored in Friday's 10-1 win over the Phillies.
He wrapped up the rout by taking Andrew Bellatti deep in the ninth inning. Morel has six homers in nine games since his promotion, batting a blistering .359 (14-for-39) during that stretch with one steal, 12 runs and 12 RBI.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: Homers in three-hit game
Rotowire
Morel went 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a walk and two total runs scored in Wednesday's 7-6 loss to the Astros.
This was Morel's first three-hit effort of the season, and he's hit safely in all eight games he's played so far. The 23-year-old is making loud contact too, with five homers and two doubles through 36 plate appearances. He's slashing .371/.389/.857 with 10 RBI, nine runs scored and a stolen base.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: Batting third Tuesday
Rotowire
Morel is starting in center field and batting third Tuesday against the Astros.
Cody Bellinger (knee) is absent from the lineup for this one, allowing yet another opportunity for Morel to impress. He's gone 9-for-26 (.346) with four homers and nine RBI in six games since his May 8 promotion from Triple-A Iowa. The 23-year-old can also work in at second base for the Cubs as Nico Hoerner recovers from a hamstring strain.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: Power surge continues
Rotowire
Morel went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Monday's loss to the Astros.
Morel struck out in his other four at-bats, but fantasy managers won't mind the swings and misses as long as he's hitting the ball out of the park. The 23-year-old now has four home runs in six games since getting recalled from Triple-A. The Cubs almost certainly will keep Morel's hot bat in the lineup, especially if Cody Bellinger has to miss any time after leaving Monday's game with a leg injury following a diving catch. Morel shifted over from left field to center to cover for Bellinger after he departed.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: Possible waiver wire pickups
Rotowire
Though recently called up from the minors, Christopher Morel is no stranger to the majors, having gotten 379 at-bats last year. He got off to a nice start then, too, but was ultimately consumed by his 32.2 percent strikeout rate. So what do we make of his hot start now, particularly coming on the heels of an outstanding showing at Triple-A, where he hit .330 with 11 homers and a 1.156 OPS in 29 games? The talent is apparent, his latest home run being hit 113.6 mph and traveling 461 feet, but he's still striking out at about a 30 percent rate and did at Triple-A as well. Maybe rather than worrying, though, we should just enjoy the production while it lasts, because there is a chance it continues. And as versatile as he is, he should find playing time as long as it does.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: Goes deep in Sunday's loss
Rotowire
Morel went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 16-3 loss to the Twins.
Morel's homer came in the fourth inning with the Cubs already trailing 8-0. The 23-year-old has hit safely in five straight games since his call-up Monday from Triple-A Iowa. He started in center field Sunday after making three starts at second base and one as the designated hitter. Morel is batting .381 with three homers, six RBI, five runs scored, a double and one stolen base in two attempts through 21 plate appearances.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: Keeps rolling Friday
Rotowire
Morel went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Friday's 6-2 win over the Twins.
The Cubs batted Morel in the leadoff spot and the youngster responded with another good effort. Since getting recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Monday, he's rattled off three straight multi-hit games, producing two home runs and five RBI. About the only blemish Friday was that Morel got caught stealing, but he's doing more than enough to earn a consistent spot in the lineup.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: In leadoff spot Friday
Rotowire
Morel is starting at second base and batting leadoff Friday night against the Twins.
The versatile 23-year-old has a prime opportunity to carve out more of a regular role with the Cubs as Nico Hoerner recovers from a left hamstring strain. Morel has gone 4-for-8 with a homer and a double in two games since being recalled Monday from Triple-A Iowa, where he was slashing .330/.425/.730 with 11 home runs, 31 RBI, four stolen bases and 31 runs scored through 29 games.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: Two more hits Wednesday
Rotowire
Morel went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and two RBI in Wednesday's 10-4 win over the Cardinals.
Starting for the second straight night, Morel once again collected two hits and put together a nice box score. It's too early to tell exactly what his role will be, but the 23-year-old has talent and showed plenty of potential as a rookie last year. He's worth keeping an eye on in fantasy leagues.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: Possible waiver wire pickups
Rotowire
Christopher Morel's return to the Cubs lineup Tuesday couldn't have gone much better. Getting the start at second base, he went 2 for 4 with both a home run and a stolen base, showing the same diverse skill set that saw him hit .330 with 11 homers and four steals at Triple-A Iowa to begin the year. The problem is that he struck out at a 30 percent rate even against Triple-A pitching. He petered out as a rookie last year precisely because of all the strikeouts. The upside here is alluring to be sure, and the versatility is an added bonus. Just understand that the most likely scenario is similar to what we saw from Morel last year.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: Records first home run, stolen base
Rotowire
Morel went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a stolen base in Tuesday's loss to the Cardinals.
Morel was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Monday and saw his first game action Tuesday, and he wasted no time getting going. The 23-year-old had 16 home runs and 10 steals as a rookie in 2022, so he's shown a nice mix of power and speed in his brief career. Morel could be an interesting fantasy option if he sees enough playing time moving forward.
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Cubs' Christopher Morel: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Morel was optioned to Triple-A Iowa by the Cubs on Monday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Morel hit four home runs but also struck out at a rate in excess of 40 percent this spring, perfectly encapsulating the good and bad parts of the 23-year-old's game. He remains talented and will be given a chance to play every day at Iowa, but Morel will probably have to start making more contact in order to get another long look with the Cubs.
