Mets' Christopher Morel: Lands minor-league deal with Mets
Rotowire
Morel agreed to a minor-league contract with the Mets on Tuesday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
Morel was released by the Marlins last week after slashing an ugly .162/.219/.206 with a 38.4 percent strikeout rate across 73 plate appearances. The 27-year-old will report to Triple-A Syracuse for the time being, and his contract contains multiple opt-outs that he can exercise if he's not promoted to the majors by a certain date.
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Christopher Morel: Cut by Marlins
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The Marlins released Morel on Friday, Isaac Azout of FishOnFirst.com reports.
Morel was outrighted to Triple-A Jacksonville after clearing waivers Thursday, but the organization has now decided to part ways with him entirely. The 27-year-old outfielder slashed .162/.219/.206 across 73 plate appearances with Miami, but he should still be able to attract a minor-league deal in free agency.
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Marlins' Christopher Morel: Headed to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Marlins outrighted Morel to Triple-A Jacksonville on Thursday.
Morel was designated for assignment by Miami on Sunday, and after going unclaimed on waivers, he will now report to Jacksonville. The 27-year-old has struggled to a .162 average with three doubles, one RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base over 68 at-bats in 22 contests with the Marlins this season.
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Marlins' Christopher Morel: Cast off 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Marlins designated Morel for assignment Sunday.
The Marlins will finally cut Morel loose after he posted a .162/.219/.206 slash line with a 38.4 percent strikeout rate through 73 plate appearances. He joined Miami on a one-year, $2 million contract in December, and he seems likely to clear waivers since the claiming team would be on the hook for his remaining salary.
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Marlins' Christopher Morel: Not in Saturday's lineup
Rotowire
Morel is not in the Marlins' starting lineup against the Rays on Saturday.
Even though the Rays are sending southpaw Shane McClanahan to the mound, the right-handed-hitting Morel will be on the bench for the start of Saturday's game while Leo Jimenez serves as the Marlins' designated hitter and Javier Sanoja starts at third base. Morel has seen a noticeable decline in his playing time due to his struggles at the plate, with the 26-year-old slashing .172/.232/.219 with one steal, one RBI and a 39.1 percent strikeout rate across 69 plate appearances this season.
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Marlins' Christopher Morel: Roster spot in jeopardy
Rotowire
Morel could be released if he doesn't begin hitting soon, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.
Signed to a modest one-year contract this offseason and asked to transition from the outfield to first base, Morel had his campaign put on pause by an Opening Day oblique strain, but the 26-year-old has contributed very little since coming off the IL in late April. Over 63 plate appearances this season, Morel is slashing .169/.222/.220 with zero homers and a 3:23 BB:K. Clearing him off the roster would potentially open up a spot for top prospect Kemp Alderman (wrist), who has been getting work at first base at Triple-A Jacksonville -- although it was a collision at first base while playing defense that led to his current wrist injury. In the meantime, Connor Norby and Liam Hicks will be the primary options at 1B for Miami while Morel tries to find his swing.
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Marlins' Christopher Morel: Taking seat Saturday
Rotowire
Morel isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Mets.
Morel has slashed just .163/.212/.204 across 52 plate appearances this month, so the Marlins will keep him on the bench Saturday against tough righty Freddy Peralta. While Morel sits, Liam Hicks will work as Miami's designated hitter, putting Connor Norby at first base and Graham Pauley at third.
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Marlins' Christopher Morel: Heading to bench Monday
Rotowire
Morel is out of the lineup for Monday's game against Atlanta.
With Griffin Conine (hamstring) still stuck on the injured list and with Agustin Ramirez and Graham Pauley recently getting optioned to the minors, the Marlins have an opening in their everyday lineup, but Morel hasn't yet seized control of it. Since coming off the injured list April 27, Morel has started in 12 of the Marlins' ensuing 20 games and has slashed .146/.205/.171 with no home runs, one stolen base, two runs and one RBI. Until his production improves, Morel is likely to be used in a part-time role.
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Marlins' Christopher Morel: Idle Saturday
Rotowire
Morel isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rays.
Morel will step out of the starting nine Saturday after going 0-for-4 during the first game of the series Friday. His absence will open a spot in the lineup for Javier Sanoja to bat seventh while starting at third base.
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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: 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
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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
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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: 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.
