Christopher

Morel

Morel missed two games while dealing with the Achilles issue, but the 25-year-old is ready to role against Nick Pivetta and the Boston pitching staff.

Morel is out with Achilles discomfort, and was expected to miss this contest after leaving Friday with the injury. The hope is the 25-year-old can return to the lineup Sunday.

Rays manager Kevin Cash is convinced that the injury isn’t serious. Morel was hurt after rounding first on a rare hit Friday.

Morel appeared to hurt himself on a hit after rounding first base, stopping and then trying to get going again after a misplay. Dylan Carlson replaced him in left field against the Guardians.

Morel extended Tampa Bay’s lead to 3-0 with a two-run shot of Bobby Miller in the third. It’d be the last run Tampa Bay would score as Miller settled down and the bullpen kept the Rays off the board. Morel has 21 homers, and three of those have come in his 20 games with the Rays after the deal near the deadline.

Morel hit a 420-foot solo shot in the fourth inning for his 19th home run of the season. He is still hitting just .199 on the year, but the Rays immediately hit him third in the order and started him at second base, so he’s going to fill a prominent role in their lineup for the remainder of the season. Perhaps the Rays can turn his plate discipline gains this season into a strong end of the summer.

Morel has always flashed impressive tools but has had major bouts of inconsistency during his big-league career. In 420 plate appearances this season he has crushed 18 homers, driven in 51 runs and stolen seven bases, but he has done so while hitting a paltry .199/.302/.374 with a 103/47 K/BB ratio and he has been caught stealing five times. He’s also considered a liability defensively. He should find his way into everyday action with the Rays, but the move to Tampa Bay isn’t likely to improve his fantasy outlook.

Mark Feinsand reports that Christopher Morel and two prospects will head to Tampa Bay in the trade, and Ken Rosenthal noting those prospects will be right-handed pitchers Ty Johnson and Hunter Bigge . This will be a return for Paredes to the Cubs, as it was his original organization before being traded to the Tigers. The 25-year-old has been one of the most productive third baseman in the sport as of late with 47 homers over his last two seasons including 16 this year with a .792 OPS. He should play every day at third, and provide Chicago with a middle-of-the-order option.

Morel took Miles Mikolas deep in the sixth inning and then Andrew Kittredge yard in the eighth. He now has 18 RBI and 50 RBI on the season, which has allowed him to remain fantasy-relevant despite having a .202/.303/.387 slash line. Morel is a below-average defender and will likely never hit for a high batting average, so there remains the risk that the Cubs will eventually see him as a part-time player; however, his immense power and speed upside will always intrigue fantasy managers if you can withstand his poor average.

Morel’s 412-foot moonshot off Orioles ace Corbin Burnes in the second inning put Chicago on the scoreboard and served as a tone-setting blast in a rare low-scoring affair at hitter-friendly Camden Yards. It was his 16th big fly of the season and first time he’s gone deep since June 23.