Christopher Morel's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder/third baseman Christopher Morel (Achilles) is not in the starting nine on Saturday as the Rays continue a series against the Cleveland Guardians. Morel was lifted early from Friday's game after suffering an Achilles injury while running. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to Sunday's lineup as the 25-year-old may not need to be sidelined long. As a result, Yandy Diaz will shift to the designated hitter spot, which will open up first base for Brandon Lowe. Both Diaz and Lowe are worth a look at in DFS this afternoon as they face Cleveland southpaw Joey Cantillo, who has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen this summer. However, he looked quite sharp in his previous outing striking out 11 batters but still sits with a hefty 5.96 ERA.

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Christopher Morel left Friday night's game early with right-Achilles discomfort, according to the team. Morel was replaced by Dylan Carlson in the top of the third after recording a single and rounding first hard before returning to the base, apparently tweaking his Achilles in the process. No further update has been provided by the team as of yet, but until then, it should be assumed that the 25-year-old's status is day-to-day. Morel has been subpar with the Rays since being acquired in a trade with the Chicago Cubs, hitting for just a 66 OPS+ in 150 plate appearances. Much of the drop in production has been due to a huge drop in power, hitting for a .583 OPS with Tampa compared to .675 with Chicago before he was traded. Fantasy managers likely haven't been counting on Morel, but if they need another option from the Rays to finish the season, they should consider Jonny DeLuca, who is hitting for a 125 wRC+ over the last 30 days in the Rays' outfield.

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman/outfielder Christopher Morel, second baseman Brandon Lowe and outfielder Jose Siri are all heading to the bench on Friday versus the division-rival Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Dean Kremer at Camden Yards. Dylan Carlson is starting in left field and batting cleanup, Jose Caballero is at second base and batting seventh, and Jonny DeLuca is in center field and is in the six-hole against Kremer, who is making his first start off the injured list. Morel has struggled in his short time with Tampa since being acquired from the Cubs at the trade deadline, hitting .191 (22-for-115) with three homers, five RBI and 42 strikeouts in 31 games. Carlson has hit just .208 (16-for-77) in 25 games since joining the Rays at the trade deadline, but all three of his homers have come in Tampa. He'll be a deep DFS sleeper in the cleanup spot for the Rays on Friday.

Tampa Bay Rays utilityman Christopher Morel made his presence known immediately with his new team in Tuesday's 9-3 win over the Marlins. Playing second base and batting third, Morel went 1-for-4 with a solo home run. He was also hit by a pitch. The 25-year-old roped a fourth-inning Edward Cabrera curveball into the left-center seats for his first HR with the Rays and his 19th on the season. He has already proven to be an erratic hitter in his young career and this season has been no different, as he has slashed .199/.303/.380 with 45 runs scored, 52 RBI, and seven stolen bases in 426 plate appearances. He has cut his strikeout rate down to 24.2% and has gotten unlucky on balls in play despite hitting the ball hard, so perhaps a change of scenery will help turn things around for him.

Third baseman Christopher Morel has been traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in the deal that will send Isaac Paredes to the Chicago Cubs. Morel hit .199 this season with 18 homers and 51 RBI for the Cubs before the trade. The 25-year-old offers some pop in his bat but the batting average is an issue as are his 103 strikeouts on the season. Morel's role in Tampa Bay is not clear with top prospect Junior Caminero knocking at the door at Triple-A Durham as Paredes' replacement as the everyday third baseman. The Rays are known to be creative in getting players into the lineup so it's possible Morel could be used in the outfield or designated hitter rotation.