Fantasy News

• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Goes deep, swipes bag

  Rotowire May 6, 2024

  Morel went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer, a walk and a steal in Monday's loss to the Padres. Morel put the Cubs on the board with his two-run shot in the sixth inning after snagging a steal earlier in the contest. He has five hits over his last five games and four of them have left the yard. The 24-year-old is slashing .220/.315/.449 with 12 extra-base hits (eight home runs), four stolen bases and 23 RBI through 35 games this season.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Homers again Friday

  Rotowire May 3, 2024

  Morel went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 3-1 loss to the Brewers. Morel snapped a scoreless tie with two outs in the sixth inning, launching a solo shot to centerfield off Joe Ross to put the Cubs ahead 1-0. Morel now has homers in back-to-back games and three in his last five contests following a span of 16 games without a long ball. The 24-year-old third baseman is slashing .210/.286/.403 through 133 plate appearances this year with six homers, 18 RBI, 19 runs scored and three stolen bases.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Nabs second steal

  Rotowire Apr 30, 2024

  Morel went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Tuesday's 4-2 loss to the Mets. The steal was his second of the season, and both pilfers have come in his last eight contests. Morel is struggling to get going with his bat, however -- through 29 games he's slashing a meager .215/.292/.374 with four homers, 14 RBI and 17 runs.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Hits go-ahead home run

  Rotowire Apr 29, 2024

  Morel went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's 3-1 win over the Mets. Morel was hitless until the ninth inning, when he delivered a two-out home run with a runner on against New York closer Edwin Diaz to break open a 1-1 tie. The key blast was Morel's fourth of the season and first since April 9. He's not off to as fast of a start as he had last year, but the 24-year-old can heat up in a hurry, and perhaps this effort will provide the spark.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Good to go Sunday

  Rotowire Apr 28, 2024

  Morel (hip) is starting at third base and batting cleanup Sunday against the Red Sox. The 24-year-old collided with Alexander Canario after making a running catch in the outfield Saturday but is apparently no worse for wear. Morel fell into a 1-for-32 slump over nine contests in mid-May, but his bat has come alive over his past six games with a .781 OPS.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Emerges from fall uninjured

  Rotowire Apr 27, 2024

  Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Morel "is fine" after exiting Saturday's game versus the Red Sox after the seventh inning following a fall in the outfield, CHGO Cubs reports. Morel toppled over left fielder Alexander Canario after making a running catch and landed hard on the ground, banging up his elbows and right hip. He looked to be in some pain and was removed from the game at that point. However, it sounds like he probably would've remained in if the score hadn't been so lopsided. It's possible the Cubs will hold Morel out Sunday if he's still a bit sore, but it does not appear fantasy managers need to have any real worry about his status.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Tallies two hits Friday

  Rotowire Apr 27, 2024

  Morel went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 7-1 win over the Red Sox. Morel has been scuffling a bit lately, as he's batting just .176 over his last 10 games with no home runs, and he has just three long balls overall this season across 25 contests. Still, the 24-year-old is a legitimate power threat, and even though he hasn't really gotten going in that department yet, he can heat up in a hurry and hit homers in bunches.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Gets first off day of season

  Rotowire Apr 25, 2024

  Morel is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Astros. The Cubs will hand Morel his first day off of the season while he's fallen into a slump at the dish of late; he's gone 4-for-45 (.089 average) and is getting on base at a .222 clip over his last 13 games. Morel still looks to be entrenched in an everyday role at third base, but Nick Madrigal will occupy the hot corner Thursday.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Clobbers grand slam

  Rotowire Apr 10, 2024

  Morel went 2-for-4 with a grand slam during Tuesday's 5-1 win over San Diego. Morel launched his third homer of 2024 on Tuesday, tagging reliever Stephen Kolek for the grand slam on Kolek's first pitch out of the bullpen. The long ball was Morel's first grand slam of his career. He's now logged a hit in 10 of his 11 games this season and is slashing .326/.370/.605 with an excellent 10.9 percent strikeout rate across 46 plate appearances.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Goes deep in romp

  Rotowire Apr 2, 2024

  Morel went 1-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 12-2 win over the Rockies. Morel went deep in the third inning as the Cubs piled on in the easy win. The 24-year-old now has two long balls across five games to go along with a robust 1.171 OPS. Whether he's playing at third base or serving as the DH, Morel will be in the lineup most days due to his powerful bat, and fantasy managers should reap the rewards.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Collects two hits

  Rotowire Apr 2, 2024

  Morel went 2-for-3 with a run scored during Monday's 5-0 victory over the Rockies. Despite the modest stat line, Morel's sixth-inning single with two-men on was the impetus for the Cubs' victory as a misplay by left-fielder Nolan Jones saw the ball roll all the way to the wall and allowed both runners to score. Jones then added a throwing error on the same play that allowed Morel to complete the little-league home run. Unfortunately, Morel did not get credited with an RBI on the play but it's been a solid start to the season for the Cubs' third-baseman. Through four games he's collected seven hits in 17 at-bats with a homer, three RBI and four runs scored.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Launches three-run homer in win

  Rotowire Mar 31, 2024

  Morel went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in Sunday's 9-5 win over the Rangers. Morel got the show started for the Cubs, clubbing a three-run homer off Texas starter Jon Gray in the top of the first inning, giving Chicago an early 3-0 lead. The 24-year-old has opened the season red-hot, going 5-for-14 with a homer, a triple, three RBI and three runs scored.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Paces offense on Opening Day

  Rotowire Mar 28, 2024

  Morel went 2-for-5 with a triple and a run scored in Thursday's 4-3, 10-inning loss to the Rangers. Morel had a good game but almost had a great game, as he narrowly missed a grand slam on a long foul ball in the top of the 10th inning with the contest tied 3-3. The 24-year-old batted cleanup, and he should have the opportunity to post strong numbers this season from the middle of Chicago's lineup, particularly in the power department.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Starts spring with homer

  Rotowire Feb 24, 2024

  Morel went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Friday's Cactus League game against the White Sox. Morel started at third base, which is where he's slated to see most of his playing time, at least in the early going. The 24-year-old got off to a flying start in the power department last season and now has his spring campaign started on the right foot as well. If Morel sees regular time at the hot corner and can build on the positives from his 2023 campaign, a big 2024 could be in store.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: To focus on playing third base

  Rotowire Feb 17, 2024

  Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Saturday that he wants Morel to concentrate on playing third base to begin spring training, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Counsell remains open to Morel's role changing over time but emphasized giving Morel consistency from the beginning of camp. Morel played just five games at third base last season, with most of his starts coming between DH, the outfield and second base. A move to third base for Morel would likely spell fewer at-bats for Nick Madrigal while opening the door for Matt Mervis or Michael Busch to see opportunities at DH.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Super utility role likely

  Rotowire Jan 15, 2024

  Cubs manager Craig Counsell and general manager Carter Hawkins indicated Saturday that Morel will likely continue to be used in a super utility role rather than focusing on one position, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports. Morel has made starts at every position other than first base and catcher during his two seasons in the majors, and he began working out at the former position during winter ball. The 24-year-old hasn't been able to master any spot yet and was used almost exclusively at designated hitter in the second half. As things currently stand, the Cubs would seem to have openings in center field and at third base (as well as DH), positions Morel has played plenty. However, the club doesn't appear anxious to keep Morel at one spot. The good news is Morel's bat should still be in the lineup plenty. He slashed .247/.313/.508 with 26 home runs over 107 games in 2023.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Blasts 26th home run

  Rotowire Oct 1, 2023

  Morel went 2-for-5 with a double, a solo home run and two runs scored in Saturday's win over the Brewers. Following up his 16-homer season as a rookie in 2022, Morel now has 26 home runs this year, and he's also boosted his batting average and OPS in his second MLB campaign. The 24-year-old has struck out more than 30 percent of the time in his first two seasons, however, which is something fantasy managers will want to see him improve upon moving forward.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Doubles, triples in loss

  Rotowire Sep 30, 2023

  Morel went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, a triple and a run scored in Friday's loss to the Brewers. Morel was productive from the No. 8 spot in the lineup, but the Cubs as a whole mustered only six hits and three runs in the defeat. The 24-year-old has recorded 44 extra-base hits among his 92 total hits this year, including 25 home runs, boosting his OPS to a solid .809. He should have a few more chances to contribute before the regular season wraps up.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Not in lineup Thursday

  Rotowire Sep 28, 2023

  Morel is absent from the lineup Thursday at Atlanta. Jeimer Candelario will serve as the Cubs' designated hitter with Miles Mastrobuoni playing third base. Morel, who also sat Wednesday, has gone 3-for-26 (.115) with seven strikeouts over his last seven games.

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• Cubs' Christopher Morel: Out of Wednesday's lineup

  Rotowire Sep 27, 2023

  Morel is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Atlanta. Morel will sit Wednesday while stuck in a 3-for-26 slump, though he did hit two solo homers during that stretch. Jeimer Candelario (back) is starting at first base in his return from the injured list while Miles Mastrobuoni mans the hot corner.

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