Morel isn't in the Cubs' lineup for Friday's game against the Royals.
Morel will get a day to clear his head Friday after going 0-for-6 with four strikeouts during Chicago's previous series against the Brewers. Miles Mastrobuoni will start at the hot corner instead while batting seventh.
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Cubs' Jordan Wicks: Tossing bullpen
Rotowire
Wicks (oblique) will throw a bullpen Friday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Wicks' recovery from a Grade 2 right oblique strain has gone slower than expected, but he'll throw off a mound Friday for the first time since being placed on the IL on June 15. Wicks becomes eligible to return in mid-August, but he may require more time to recover.
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Cubs' Ben Brown: Moved to 60-day IL
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The Cubs transferred Brown (neck) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list Friday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for Christian Bethancourt. Brown now isn't eligible for activation until mid-August, but he hadn't seemed likely to return before then, anyway.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Starting rehab stint
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Thompson (ribs) is scheduled to pitch for Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Thompson threw live batting practice Tuesday and has been given the green light for in-game action. The 29-year-old has been on the shelf since June 28 with a fractured right rib and should require multiple rehab appearances.
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Cubs' Christian Bethancourt: Added to roster
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The Cubs selected Bethancourt's contract from Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Bethancourt will absorb the roster spot vacated by Tomas Nido (knee) and could share catching duties with Miguel Amaya while Nido recuperates. The 32-year-old slashed just .159/.198/.268 across 88 plate appearances with the Marlins earlier this season.
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Cubs' Tomas Nido: To IL with sprained knee
Rotowire
The Cubs placed Nido on the 10-day injured list Friday with a right knee sprain, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Nido will be eligible to return in early August, but it seems unlikely given the nature of the injury that he'll be ready by then. Miguel Amaya and Christian Bethancourt will handle the catching duties for the Cubs.
The Pirates traded minor-league outfielder Gilberto Celestino to the Cubs on Thursday, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Celestino slashed .271/.348/.356 with three home runs for Triple-A Indianapolis, and he'll likely report to Triple-A Iowa after being acquired by the Cubs. The outfielder appeared in the majors during 2021 and 2022 for Minnesota, where he had a .592 OPS in 409 plate appearances across 145 games.
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Cubs' Hector Neris: Takes loss Wednesday
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Neris (8-3) allowed a run on two hits over an inning of work to take the loss Wednesday against the Brewers. He struck out two.
Neris allowed his first run since June 17, snapping a streak of nine straight scoreless appearances, as Milwaukee prevailed 3-2 late. The veteran reliever endured a rough patch last month, but his recent strong play should keep him locked into Chicago's closer role despite Wednesday's hiccup. He now has a 3.79 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 38 strikeouts across 35.2 innings this season, to go along with a team-high 14 saves.
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Cubs' Seiya Suzuki: Belts 14th home run
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Suzuki went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and an additional run scored in Wednesday's loss to the Brewers.
Suzuki did all he could in this one, recording both of the Cubs' extra-base hits while scoring their only two runs of the contest. The 29-year-old came out of the All-Star break flat, going 2-for-17 with zero extra-base hits before Wednesday's performance. The outfielder now owns a .264 average with 14 home runs, 47 RBI, 42 runs scored and 10 stolen bases in 78 games this season.
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Cubs' Justin Steele: Fans four in no-decision
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Steele did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's loss to the Brewers, allowing two earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out four in 5.1 innings.
Steele came out of the All-Star break flat, yielding five earned runs on nine hits in his previous start. Wednesday's outing was certainly an improvement, but his 4:3 K:BB was underwhelming, especially compared to his pre-intermission production. In nine starts leading up to the All-Star break, Steele dazzled with a 1.48 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 58:12 K:BB in 61 innings. The southpaw will look to find his form in his next start, currently scheduled for early next week in Cincinnati.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Bellinger (finger) could be activated from the 10-day injured list during the team's upcoming six-game road trip that begins Friday in Kansas City, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Bellinger will do some hitting and throwing on the field Wednesday, and depending on how he checks out following those activities, he might not require a rehab assignment before returning. He's been shelved since mid-July with a fractured left middle finger. Bellinger could wind up being a trade chip next week if the Cubs view themselves as sellers, and he looks he'll have a good shot to play in some games prior to Tuesday's deadline.
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Cubs' Miguel Amaya: Resting Wednesday
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Amaya is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Brewers.
Amaya will hit the bench after he had started at catcher in three of the past four games while going 5-for-8 with two walks and a run during that stretch. Tomas Nido will spell Amaya behind the dish Wednesday.
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Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong: Stepping out of lineup
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Crow-Armstrong is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Brewers.
He'll hit the bench for the first time since July 9, breaking a streak of 11 consecutive starts. Crow-Armstrong brings elite defense in center field and has been a menace on the basepaths (18 steals in 18 attempts), but he continues to struggle against big-league pitching. After going 0-for-17 over his last five starts, Crow-Armstrong is now holding down a .183/.234/.297 slash line over 192 plate appearances on the season.
Swanson went 2-for-4 with a stolen base in Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Brewers.
Swanson stole second after leading off the ninth inning with a single, but the Cubs couldn't bring him home. The shortstop has logged back-to-back multi-hit games against Milwaukee after going 1-for-9 with three walks over three contests versus Arizona coming out of the All-Star break. Swanson has struggled to a .217/.289/.347 slash line with nine home runs, seven steals, 31 RBI, 37 runs scored, 13 doubles and a triple over 92 games this season.
