CHICAGO — After a rookie season in which he showed promise, one of the best young players on the Cubs will get to start his second campaign with the team on Monday.

Christopher Morel, who has gotten off to a strong start to 2023 in the minors, is being called up by the major league team ahead of the start of a three-game series against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field.

This will be the outfielder’s first time with the team this season as he joined Triple-A Iowa after the conclusion of spring training. Morel’s call-up is the second major promotion for the team in less than a week after calling up first baseman Matt Mervis last Friday.

Outfieder Nelson Velazquez was sent down as part of the move.

In 29 games with Iowa this season, Morel has a slash line of .330/.425/.730 with nine doubles, two triples, 11 homers, and 31 RBI.

The 23-year old, who was signed as an international free agent in 2015, enjoyed a memorable rookie season in 2022 with the Cubs. Homering in his first major league at-bat against the Pirates on May 17 at Wrigley Field, Morel hit .283 in May and June, providing one of the positive storylines during a rough start to the season for the team as a whole.

Morel’s fast start slowed as the season went along, as he finished with a .235 average with 19 doubles, three triples, 16 homers and 47 RBI in 113 games.

While primarily an outfielder, the second-year player offers versatility for manager David Ross as he also had time at second base (33 games), shortstop (13 games), and third base (18 games) in 2022.