Christopher Morel DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

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.