After a Brutal Start For Tampa Bay Rays, Christopher Morel's Bat is Coming Alive

TAMPA, Fla. — After a tough start to the season at the plate, Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Christopher Morel is starting to get into a rhythm.

Morel was abysmal in April and May. In 118 at-bats, he struck out 47 times while only registering 23 hits. In May alone, Morel's batting average dipped to .143. In 42 at-bats, he didn't have an RBI. However, June has been much more kind to the 25-year-old.

In 24 at-bats this month, Morel has eight hits, good for a .333 batting average. He's cut his strikeouts in half, all while putting runs on the board.

Morel's good month continued on Saturday in an 8-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers, the team with the best record in baseball. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Morel crushed a 434-foot solo shot to left field, giving him his sixth — and second-longest — home run of the season.

In his last 14 games, Morel has hit .314 (11-for-35) with five doubles, three home runs, seven RBIs, seven runs and a 1.048 OPS.

Morel's progression is a key element of Tampa Bay's success throughout its entire batting order. In the series-opening 14-8 win over Detroit on Friday night, the entire starting lineup recorded at least one hit. It was the fifth time this season the Rays have achieved that level of production, second only to the New York Yankees.

Morel signed with the Chicago Cubs as an international free agent in 2015. On May 17, 2022, he made his MLB debut.

Morel spent nearly three seasons with the Cubs before being traded to the Rays last summer in a significant move that sent All-Star infielder Isaac Paredes to the Cubs.