Morel is leading off for the third straight game Thursday against the Reds.

EDGE Analysis

Morel is not a true pop-up prospect, as he has been on the periphery of Cubs top prospect lists for half a decade, but his performance at Double-A and the majors this year has represented a massive shift in quality of play. He is hitting .296/.406/.556 with two home runs and one steal in eight games since his call-up and his hard-hit metrics largely support this strong start. Now that Nico Hoerner is healthy, it appears Morel will get most of his work in center field. It's unclear if Morel will be able to stick up once Jason Heyward is activated from the COVID-19 injured list.