Christopher Morel Fantasy Stats

The Tampa Bay Rays designated outfielder Christopher Morel for assignment on Tuesday, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The Rays acquired Morel from the Chicago Cubs in a trade during the 2024 season, but he struggled to hit for average and power in his time in Tampa and could find himself on the free-agent market this winter. In 105 games played for the Rays in 2025, Morel hit .219 (61-for-278) with 11 home runs, 33 RBI, 37 runs scored, seven stolen bases, and a 109:25 K:BB in 305 plate appearances. He was even worse in a 49-game stint with Tampa last year, going 33-for-173 (.191) with only three home runs and nine RBI in the second half of the year. There's plenty of athleticism with Morel, but he's not a great defender in the outfield and swings and misses far too often at the plate. At best, he'll latch on with another team and compete for a platoon role in 2026.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Christopher Morel (abdomen) will start in left field and bat cleanup for the Rays on Wednesday against the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays and right-hander Kevin Gausman. Morel is returning to the starting lineup after being pulled from Sunday's series finale against his old team, the Chicago Cubs, with an abdominal contusion. The 26-year-old appeared as a pinch-hitter in Tuesday's game against Toronto and will now return to the starting nine. He has faced Gausman just twice in his career and has a solo home run. Morel's playing time has dipped in 2025, as he is rarely on the field against right-handed pitchers. The Dominican native is batting a weak .227/.293/.410 with a .703 OPS, 11 home runs, 27 RBI, and seven steals in 256 at-bats. However, he has hit .316 (6-for-19) with a homer and four RBI so far in 10 games in September.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Christopher Morel (abdomen) was forced to make an early exit during Sunday's game against the Chicago Cubs. Morel suffered an abdominal contusion when being struck by a foul ball. As a precaution, Morel exited the game and Jake Mangum took over in left field. Before exiting, Morel went 1-for-3 with a single. Fantasy managers should consider Morel as day-to-day. It doesn't sound like this issue will force Morel onto the injured list.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Christopher Morel turned in his best performance of the season Saturday in an 11-10 loss to the Miami Marlins. Morel went 3-for-3 with two home runs, a double, four RBI, and an additional run scored. The 25-year-old ended a couple of long droughts along the way. He hadn't homered since April 24, and he hadn't even knocked in a run since April 26. Morel entered the season off back-to-back years with at least 20 homers and 60 RBI, but his playing time has dropped in 2025 as a result of his struggles. He's now hitting .222/.300/.400 with five HRs, 15 RBI, and a career-worst 35.3% strikeout rate across 150 trips to the plate. Saturday's outburst was a much-needed step in the right direction.

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, infielder/outfielder Christopher Morel and catcher Ben Rortvedt will all start on the bench for Sunday's series finale against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers and right-hander Chad Patrick. Jose Caballero is starting at third and batting sixth, Travis Jankowski is in right field and batting seventh, and Danny Jansen is doing the catching and batting ninth. Caminero will take a seat despite holding a current five-game hitting streak in which he's gone 6-for-18 with a homer, three RBI, a steal and a run scored. The 21-year-old will be back in there for Tuesday's series opener against the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays. Morel will sit for the second straight day against a righty and may be in a platoon in Tampa's outfield after starting the year with a poor .223/.310/.369 slash line in 103 at-bats.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Christopher Morel crushed his third home run of the season in extra innings to help seal the Rays' victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-4 on Thursday evening. The home run came in the clutch, as the Rays had already scored one run in extras, and Morel delivered the insurance runs to give the Rays a three-run lead as they went into the bottom of the 10th. Morel is enjoying a nice season with the Rays thus far, at least offensively and from a fantasy perspective, slashing .268/.333/.465 with three home runs, 12 runs scored, and 10 RBI in 78 plate appearances. He also has position eligibility at third base, second base, and outfield, only increasing his value for fantasy managers as a bench bat. He continues to be a good plug-and-play when hitters get off days or the opportunity presents itself. Next up for Morel is a three-game series against the San Diego Padres over the weekend.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Christopher Morel went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, two runs scored, and an RBI in the Rays' 7-6 extra-inning win over the Diamondbacks. His solo homer came in the second inning off Eduardo Rodriguez and leveled the score at 1-1 after a Corbin Carroll homer in the first inning. Morel is hitting .258 in his 22 games this year with two homers, two stolen bases, and a .328 wOBA. He has an alarming 39.7% strikeout rate and will need to get that under control if he wants to stay in the lineup on a regular basis for the Rays. He does have home run and stolen base potential, though, so he remains a fringe roster option in standard mixed leagues. Although if this is the start of a hot streak, he could be worth a look on the waiver wire.

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman/designated hitter Jonathan Aranda and outfielder Christopher Morel are both on the bench to start Tuesday's game at George M. Steinbrenner Field versus the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. Curtis Mead is making the start at first base and is batting fifth, while rookie Kameron Misner is starting in left field and hitting sixth for the Rays against rookie right-hander Thomas Harrington, who will be making his big-league debut. Aranda has gotten off to a hot start this year by going 5-for-9 with four doubles, an RBI and two runs scored in his first four games. When healthy, he'll be a lineup regular for the Rays at either first base or the designated hitter spot. Morel has gone 3-for-9 in the early going with an RBI, two runs scored, two walks and four strikeouts in four games so far. In addition to Misner, rookie Jake Mangum is starting in right field for Tampa on Tuesday.

MLB.com's Adam Berry writes that Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Christopher Morel is set to be the team's starting left fielder in 2025. In addition to Morel, Richie Palacios is likely to get plenty of work in left field and center field alongside Morel and Jonny DeLuca, respectively. After being traded from the Chicago Cubs to the Rays in 2024, Morel started 20 games at third base and 11 in left field. However, infield prospect Junior Caminero is fully expected to be the team's full-time third baseman in 2025, which will shift Morel to a permanent outfield role. The 25-year-old Dominican right-handed power hitter had a mere .547 OPS in his 190 plate appearances for the Rays last year, so he'll need to improve on that or risk losing valuable playing time to Palacios. Morel hits the ball hard when he makes contact, but the problem is he has trouble making consistent contact.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Christopher Morel and shortstop Taylor Walls are getting the day off on Friday for the series opener against the division-rival Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Richie Palacios is making the start in left field and is hitting seventh, with Jose Caballero returning to shortstop and batting eighth against Red Sox right-hander Nick Pivetta. Morel has reached the 20-homer mark for the second straight season, but he's also hitting under .200 in 149 combined games with the Rays and Chicago Cubs. He's been even worse since coming to Tampa at the trade deadline, hitting .183 (30-for-164) with just three home runs, four doubles, two triples, seven RBI and 55 strikeouts in 180 trips to the plate. Palacios has mainly been a speed threat for fantasy managers in AL-only leagues with a career-high 19 stolen bases in 2024, but he hasn't provided much else in just 90 games.