Chicago Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Kansas City Royals. The young slugger needs to clear his head after going hitless with four strikeouts during his previous series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Morel has plenty of potential with the bat, but he hasn't put it all together yet. In his absence, Miles Mastrobuoni will play third base and bat seventh versus right-hander Brady Singer. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups accordingly.
Chicago Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel nailed a pair of homers on Sunday, leading the Cubs to an 8-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Morel went 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI to round out his line. The toolsy infielder has had a strange season, slashing just .202/.303/.387 while playing miserable defense, yet somehow being quite useful in fantasy by tacking on 42 runs, 18 homers, 50 RBI, and seven swipes in 341 at-bats. His statcast page is also a sea of red, so he could be a solid buy-low going into the second half.
Chicago Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel is getting a breather on Saturday as the team takes on the visiting Los Angeles Angels at Wrigley Field. Morel is in the midst of a modest three-game hitting streak that has seen him go 3-for-11 with an RBI, no walks and six strikeouts in 12 plate appearances. The 25-year-old Dominican right-handed slugger typically sells out for power and can be very streaky at the plate. He's hitting under .200 on the season but has 15 home runs, 46 RBI, seven stolen bases and 38 RBI in 308 at-bats. Morel is useful for his power/speed combination in most fantasy leagues, but he's most certainly going to be a drain on your team batting average. David Bote will play third base and bat eighth for the Cubs on Saturday against Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson. Bote is hitting .250 with a .564 OPS and an RBI in 12 career at-bats against Anderson.
Chicago Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel was 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored during Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. It was Morel's third home run and second multi-hit performance of June. The 24-year-old has been his typical streaky self this season. He has 13 home runs, 40 RBI and six stolen bases across 66 games but is slashing a modest .208/.318/.403. He has shown more consistency at the plate lately and should continue to see steady playing time because of it. Morel is a top-15 option at third base moving forward.
Christopher Morel Walks Off Pittsburgh On Saturday Afternoon
Chicago Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel walked the Pittsburgh Pirates off with a single to score Cody Bellinger with the game's only run, sealing a 1-0 victory for the Cubs. Morel has found a home in the cleanup spot in the batting order, hitting .215 with nine home runs, 32 RBI, 22 runs scored, and four stolen bases. Morel has cut his strikeout rate from 31% in 2023 to a manageable 21.5% thus far in 2024. Look for the productive Morel to continue playing third base and batting in the four-spot for the 26-21 Chicago Cubs.
Christopher Morel Serving As Designated Hitter Tuesday
Chicago Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel (toe) is serving as the designated hitter on Tuesday and is batting cleanup against the Atlanta Braves and left-hander Chris Sale. Patrick Wisdom will play third base for the Cubbies. Morel has been beat up in the last few days with a toe injury and a sore knee, so it makes sense the Cubs are getting the 24-year-old right-handed slugger off his feet for this one. Morel fouled a ball off his left foot late in Monday's game against the Braves. He's never faced Sale in his career and is in for a tough matchup with Sale looking healthy and dominant so far in his first year in Atlanta in 2024. Morel has been better in May with a .244 average (10-for-41) with five home runs and 13 RBI. There's plenty of power here, but Morel is also prone to strikeouts, which Sale can deliver in spades when he's on.
Chicago Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel (toe) left the team's game on Monday early against the Atlanta Braves with a toe injury on his left foot after he fouled a ball off his foot late in the contest. Morel also injured his right knee on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates and is dealing with some bumps and bruises, so it wouldn't be a surprise at all to see him sit out of Tuesday's game in Atlanta. The 24-year-old walked off with a trainer and was seen wincing after fouling a ball off his foot. Before leaving late in Monday's game, Morel went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts to drop his season average to .223 and his OPS to .747. If Morel needs more than just one day off because of his bumps and bruises, both Miles Mastrobuoni and Nick Madrigal would be candidates to mix in at the hot corner for the Cubbies.
Chicago Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel (knee) is back at third base and is batting cleanup for the Cubbies on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates and left-hander Bailey Falter. Morell was forced to leave Saturday's contest early in the fifth inning with right-knee soreness after sliding into second base on a stolen-base attempt. It was clearly nothing serious, though, so fantasy managers can get the 24-year-old back into their starting lineups for a good matchup against Falter. Morel is hitting just .220 (31-for-141) on the year, but he also has eight home runs, 25 RBI, four stolen bases and 21 runs scored in the middle of Chicago's batting order. He's hit .250 (6-for-24) with two of his home runs against left-handed pitching.
Christopher Morel Exits Saturday's Game With Right Knee Soreness
Chicago Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel (knee) was removed from Saturday's game versus the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fifth inning with right knee soreness. The 24-year-old appeared to have hurt his right knee while sliding into second base attempting a steal in the top of the third inning. He went 1-for-3 with a strikeout before exiting. Morel is considered day-to-day and will undergo further evaluation on his right knee after the game. Nick Madrigal replaced Morel in Saturday's contest. Madrigal would see an uptick in playing time if Morel were to miss any games, but he is not on the fantasy radar in most league formats after hitting .208 (11-for-53) in 2024.
Chicago Cubs outfielder/infielder Christopher Morel launched his seventh homer in a 6-5 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. Morel hit the home run off Tobias Myers in the third inning. The third baseman is hitting .213 with the aforementioned seven home runs, 20 RBI, three stolen bases and 20 runs scored. Morel launched 26 round-trippers in 2023. Morel has been hitting in the cleanup spot for the Cubs. Continue to look for more pop in his bat, but be aware that could come with a batting average hit to your fantasy team.
