WATCH: Christopher Morel goes 3-for-4 in Cubs' loss on Saturday
Christopher Morel got the start in right field on Saturday as the Chicago Cubs continue to evaluate his bat as a potential fit for the Opening Day roster.
The 23-year-old stayed red hot, going 3-for-4 with two doubles in his first two at-bats before adding a single up the middle in the seventh inning.
Over his last five games, Morel has gone 6-for-11 with two home runs and three RBI. More importantly, he's struck out just twice.
Going into camp, manager David Ross saw the potential in Morel, knowing that the young utility man could be used more in the outfield due to the logjam in the infield.
“Christopher’s got a bright future ahead of him,” Ross said. “We’ll see where this spring training takes him. He can bounce around the outfield for us, be a fourth outfielder. Could be a utility player; he can play pretty much any infield position, probably besides first — we haven’t put him [there]. But there’s also still a lot of growth potential there for him.”
Morel has looked comfortable in the outfield, which offers excellent flexibility for the Cubs roster to insert his bat anywhere.
His timing is getting there with Opening Day on Thursday.
Despite clubbing 16 long balls and driving in 55 runs, he struck out in over 32 percent of his at-bats in 2022. Morel will need to keep the strikeouts in check if he indeed breaks camp with the Big League club.
Through the first half of the spring, his strikeout issues were at the forefront, fanning 14 times in his first 28 at-bats. Since then, he has just seven punchouts in 20 at-bats, including just two over his last 12.
At one point, it looked like Morel would likely begin the year in Triple-A. However, he's making it difficult for the Cubs coaching staff to send him back down.
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