Marlins' Christopher Morel: Makes impact in Sunday's win
Rotowire
Morel went 1-for-4 with a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Sunday's win over the Nationals.
Getting the start at DH and batting sixth, Morel produced his first RBI and first steal as a member of the Marlins. The 26-year-old was signed this offseason to potentially fill a hole at first base, a position he'd never played before in the majors, but an oblique strain in late March delayed the implementation of that plan. In nine games since being activated from the IL, Morel has appeared four times at first base and four times at DH, batting .179 (5-for-28) with a 2:11 BB:K.
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Marlins' Christopher Morel: Idle Saturday
Rotowire
Morel isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Nationals.
Morel will get a breather Saturday after making three consecutive starts, a span in which he went 0-for-10 with a walk and three strikeouts. Liam Hicks will work as the Marlins' designated hitter with Morel on the bench while Connor Norby starts at first and Leo Jimenez covers third.
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Marlins' Christopher Morel: Looks stuck in part-time role
Rotowire
Morel is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers.
After being reinstated from the 10-day injured list Monday, Morel ended up making just one start during the Marlins' three-game series in Los Angeles. Though he had appeared to secure the everyday gig at first base coming out of spring training before straining his left oblique right before the Marlins' Opening Day game, Morel looks like he'll have to settle for a part-time role now that he's healthy again. Connor Norby has served as the Marlins' primary first baseman this season amid Morel's extended absence and has provided an adequate .722 OPS over 105 plate appearances.
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Marlins' Christopher Morel: Closing in on rehab assignment
Rotowire
Morel (oblique) is expected to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Jacksonville during the upcoming week, Kevin Barral of FishonFirst.com reports.
The 26-year-old was given an estimated timeline of 4-to-6 weeks when he landed on the injured list in late March, and Morel looks to be eyeing a return near the short end of that window with a shot at activation before the end of April. Once he's reinstated, Morel may face competition for starts at first base from Connor Norby, though Norby could also move across the diamond and unseat the struggling Graham Pauley as the Marlins' primary third baseman.
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Marlins' Christopher Morel: Set to be primary first baseman
Rotowire
Morel is expected to begin the season as the Marlins' starting first baseman, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.
This was always the plan after the 26-year-old career outfielder was signed to a one-year, $2 million deal in December, but Morel needed to show he could handle the position defensively in camp first. His glovework has been acceptable, but how he performs with his bat looms as the bigger issue. Morel is batting just .135 (5-for-37) this spring with zero homers and a 3:13 BB:K, after he managed a .204/.288/.363 line over the last two seasons between the Cubs and Rays with a 29.3 percent strikeout rate. Morel is capable of punishing a mistake -- he clubbed 32 homers in 257 games during those two seasons -- but if he struggles overall, it could open the door later in the year for someone like Griffin Conine to take on a larger role at first base.
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Marlins' Christopher Morel: Looking good with glove at 1B
Rotowire
Morel handled a number of tough chances at first base without issue during the Marlins' Grapefruit League opener against the Mets on Saturday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
The 26-year-old has never played a game at first base as a professional, but after signing a one-year contract with Miami in December, Morel got to work over the winter to learn the new position. He compared the footwork necessary around the bag to learning a popular dance in his native Dominican Republic. "It's more the feet when you go to cover first base, trying to put your feet correctly," Morel said after Saturday's game. "But we're getting better. Today, we got a few ground balls, and I'm trying to dance bachata today. We need to dance bachata to be a first baseman." While getting his glovework in order is a good first step, he'll likely need to improve his offensive contributions as well to secure a full-time role at first base -- over the last two seasons between the Cubs and Rays, Morel launched 32 homers with 15 steals in 257 games but slashed just .204/.288/.363 with a 29.3 percent strikeout rate.
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Christopher Morel: No contract from Rays
Rotowire
Morel was not tendered by the Rays on Friday, Steve Carney of StPeteNine.com reports.
Morel was designated for assignment by the Rays on Tuesday but theoretically could have stayed in the organization after clearing waivers. He's now a free agent and could have to settle for a minor-league deal after struggling across the last two seasons.
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Rays' Christopher Morel: Drives in four in win
Rotowire
Morel went 2-for-4 with a double and four RBI in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Red Sox.
Morel had gone 0-for-9 with five strikeouts over three games since missing a couple of games due to an abdominal bruise. The utility man broke out of the slump by accounting for more than half of the Rays' run production. He opened the scoring with a two-run double in the first inning and added a two-run single in the eighth for insurance. This was just his fifth multi-RBI game of the year. Morel has a .223/.292/.401 slash line with 11 home runs, 31 RBI, 37 runs scored, seven stolen bases and 15 doubles across 102 games this season.
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Rays' Christopher Morel: Clubs three-run homer
Rotowire
Morel went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's 6-4 loss against the Cubs.
Morel gave Tampa Bay an early 3-0 lead with his first-inning homer, but the Rays were mostly quiet the rest of the afternoon. The 26-year-old sees most of his starts against left-handed pitching, and he's excelled in that platoon role since the beginning of August with a .288/.323/.525 slash line, though he also has a 46.8 percent strikeout rate during that stretch.
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Rays' Christopher Morel: Solid performance against Guardians
Rotowire
Morel went 3-for-4 with one RBI and two runs scored Thursday against the Guardians.
Morel continues to start exclusively against left-handed pitchers while primarily hitting fifth. He's hit well in that limited role, collecting multiple hits in three of his last five starts, including four runs scored and two doubles.
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Rays' Christopher Morel: Trio of hits against STL
Rotowire
Morel went 3-for-4 with a solo home run during Sunday's 7-2 win over St. Louis.
The performance marked Morel's fourth three-hit game of the campaign, and his first since June 7. Since July 31, Morel is 12-for-39 (.308) with three home runs and 20 strikeouts. He's slashing .222/.284/.409 on the season and has been relegated to a short-side platoon role.
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Rays' Christopher Morel: Homers in rare start
Rotowire
Morel went 1-for-2 with a solo home run Tuesday against the Athletics.
Morel has fallen primarily into a short-side platoon since the start of May, but he drew his second straight start with a lefty on the mound Tuesday. He led off the second inning with his seventh home run of the season and second in his last five starts.
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Rays' Christopher Morel: Thriving in short-side platoon
Rotowire
Morel went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 12-8 win over Baltimore.
Although the righty-hitting Morel has fallen into a short-side platoon with the switch-hitting Jake Mangum in left field, the former has been highly effective in this role of late. Morel has just 39 plate appearances over his last 15 outings, but he's slashing .297/.333/.595 with two home runs, five doubles, six RBI and seven runs scored during this period. Morel has a .772 OPS versus righties as opposed to a .597 OPS against lefties, so perhaps manager Kevin Cash will consider finding ways to get Morel's bat into the lineup more often if he stays hot.
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Rays' Christopher Morel: Ten total bases in win
Rotowire
Morel went 3-for-3 with a double, two homers, three runs scored and four RBI during Saturday's 11-10 loss to the Marlins.
Getting a start against lefty Ryan Weathers (head/arm), Morel accounted for 10 total bases in only three at-bats before being replaced for defensive reasons by Josh Lowe in the top of the eighth inning. Morel's two home runs brought his season total up to five, and his four RBI represented his first in 23 games.
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Rays' Christopher Morel: Stuck in short side of platoon
Rotowire
Morel is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
The 25-year-old made three straight starts Wednesday through Friday while the Rays faced off against left-handed pitchers, but he'll be on the bench Sunday for the second day in a row against Chad Patrick. Morel appears to have fallen into a short-side platoon role, and his chances of regaining steady playing time don't appear to be strong with the Rays expected to get Josh Lowe (oblique) back from the injured list during the upcoming week.
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Rays' Christopher Morel: Day off Thursday
Rotowire
Morel is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Royals, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
Morel was in the lineup for the first two games of the series, going hitless in seven trips to the dish. He'll take a seat in Thursday's series finale as Travis Jankowski mans left field for the Rays.
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Rays' Christopher Morel: Homers in back-to-back games
Rotowire
Morel went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run, a double and an additional RBI in Thursday's extra-inning win over the Diamondbacks.
The slugging left fielder hit just two homers in his first 21 games of the season, but he's now smashed a big fly in each of his past two outings. Morel has quietly been effective over his last 15 contests, during which he's hitting a healthy .264 with three round trippers, nine RBI, nine runs scored and two stolen bases across 53 at-bats. Although he likely won't hit for a high average, Morel should continue to be a decent source of power and speed for fantasy managers in deeper leagues.
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Rays' Christopher Morel: Taking seat Saturday
Rotowire
Morel isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Yankees, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
After going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Friday's series opener, Morel will take a seat while Kameron Misner, Chandler Simpson and Jake Mangum start across Tampa Bay's outfield Saturday.
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Rays' Christopher Morel: Day off Saturday
Rotowire
Morel isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rangers, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
Morel went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Friday's series opener, but he'll continue to concede playing time to the white-hot Jake Mangum, who's set to start in left field Saturday and bat eighth.
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Rays' Christopher Morel: Absent from lineup again Wednesday
Rotowire
Morel is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Pirates, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Morel has now been absent from the lineup for two straight games and three of the last four contests. The hot-hitting Jake Mangum will start in left field and bat third for the Rays on Wednesday.
