Morel is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Astros.

The Cubs will hand Morel his first day off of the season while he's fallen into a slump at the dish of late; he's gone 4-for-45 (.089 average) and is getting on base at a .222 clip over his last 13 games. Morel still looks to be entrenched in an everyday role at third base, but Nick Madrigal will occupy the hot corner Thursday.