Mets call up Christopher Morel from minors and cut infielder Gabriel Arias

NEW YORK (AP) — The resurgent New York Mets called up infielder Christopher Morel from Triple-A Syracuse on Monday.

Morel, who has a pair of 20-homer seasons in the majors, was selected to the big league roster before New York’s 2-1 victory over the San Diego Padres in the opener of a three-game series.

Interim manager Andy Green said the 27-year-old Morel, a right-handed hitter, will start at first base Tuesday night against Padres left-hander Robbie Ray.

To open a roster spot, infielder Gabriel Arias was designated for assignment.

Morel is a .220 career hitter with 74 home runs, 211 RBIs and a .702 OPS in 499 major league games over five seasons from 2022-26. He has played for the Cubs, Rays and Marlins.

Morel batted .162 in 22 games with Miami this season before getting released on June 26. He signed a minor league contract with the Mets on July 1 and hit .309 with 12 homers, 29 RBIs and a 1.033 OPS in 35 games at Syracuse.

“I had Christopher in Chicago. Absolutely love the guy. Infectious personality. Doing tremendously well in Triple-A for us,” Green said. “Love having him. He’s a great person, great teammate, great competitor, so he’s going to fit right in.”

President of Baseball Operations David Stearns said the last-place Mets still expect slugging outfielder Juan Soto (left calf strain) and reliever Devin Williams (right shoulder strain) to return this season.

Stearns also said he still expects Green to return to a front-office role after the season. Despite trading away six pitchers and outfielder Tyrone Taylor just ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline, New York (57-69) is a major league-best 10-3 since Aug. 4 and 23-22 since Green took over as interim manager when Carlos Mendoza was fired on June 26.

The 48-year-old Green, who went 274-366 as manager of the Padres from 2016-19, had been overseeing the Mets’ farm system as Senior Vice President, Baseball Development.

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