Christopher Morel’s production at Triple-A Iowa became impossible for the Chicago Cubs to ignore.
Days after president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and manager David Ross said there weren’t regular at-bats available in the majors for the hot-hitting Morel, the Cubs recalled the 23-year-old infielder/outfielder before Monday’s series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cubs optioned outfielder Nelson Velázquez to Iowa as the corresponding move. Velázquez appeared in seven consecutive games after the team promoted him, playing time that was aided by Cody Bellinger’s absence on the paternity list.
Since April 28, Velázquez started just four of 10 games and was pinch-hit for twice. Only one of his starts came at designated hitter. The Cubs want Velázquez to receive regular playing time again, which made a return to Iowa the ideal option.
Morel’s defensive versatility will create more opportunities for Ross to find spots for him in the lineup. Ross plans to get Morel as many at-bats as he can; however, that might not translate to a daily presence in the lineup.
“I don’t know that there’s this big path for everyday at-bats,” Ross said Monday. “The ability to get Velázquez back (to Triple A) and not let him sit on the bench and some ability to mix Mo in time to time is probably going to be more of a role than just everyday at-bats.
“The guy’s set the world on fire down there — he’s earned this coming up. … You can’t ignore the numbers. Mo’s done a really nice job down there. I know he’s going to help us out in a big way.”
Morel was hitting .330 with nine doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 31 RBIs, a .425 on-base percentage and a 1.155 OPS in 29 games at Iowa. As the International League Player of the Month for April, he leads the league in slugging, OPS, extra-base hits and total bases while ranking second in home runs, RBIs and runs scored.
“I just trust God, trust myself that I go back to the big leagues soon,” Morel said Monday. “That’s my mentality every day I go to the stadium.”
Morel’s call-up might prove fortuitous. Second baseman Nico Hoerner exited Monday’s game in the bottom of the fifth because of left hamstring tightness. As he went from first to third on Dansby Swanson’s RBI double, Hoerner winced when he pulled into into third. Nick Madrigal replaced Hoerner.
Hoerner will get imaging on his hamstring Tuesday morning and be evaluated. Manager David Ross said Hoerner felt his hamstring grab “a little bit” as he went from second to third.
Barring an injury, third base represents Morel’s clearest path to playing time. Patrick Wisdom is mired in a two-week slump, hitting .154 and posting a .298 OBP with two extra-base hits, eight walks and 21 strikeouts in his last 13 games (48 plate appearances) entering Monday. Madrigal has been used predominantly off the bench, though he started twice at third base during the three-game weekend series against the Miami Marlins.
Half of Morel’s starts with Iowa came at third, where he struggled with his throwing accuracy last year with the Cubs. He could get a few looks at DH too. Trey Mancini has gotten the bulk of starts there among the Cubs’ right-handed hitters.
Ross called this playing time crunch “a good problem to have” in trying to figure out how to best utilize matchups.
“One thing I know about Mo is he’s going to be ready when I put his name in the lineup,” Ross said. “He’s going to be ready when I call his name off the bench.
“There’s a lot of guys that have long resumes, have earned playing time and earned contracts and earned a lot of things that are there. As a young player, you understand that but you’ve also got to stay ready for your opportunity, and Mo will do that.”
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