Though he refused to name Brent Morel his starting third baseman, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said Mark Teahen will start seeing more time in the outfield.

It sure seems like Guillen is leaning towards Morel at the hot corner, and it's the right move, as he's simply a much better defender and held his own with the bat in his time last season and so far this spring. Teahen has out-hit Morel this spring, but he's cooled off a bit after a red-hot start and his defense has been lacking. He's likely to be used in a utility role as a backup at the corner infield and outfield spots.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said Saturday that the third base job is Brent Morel's to lose.

This comes just two days after Guillen referred to a question about whether Morel was the starting third baseman as "a slap in the face of (Mark) Teahen." GM Kenny Williams has hinted at a possible platoon at the position, which would mean the left-handed hitting Teahen would be in line for more at-bats. However, it sounds like Morel is the favorite for the starting gig at this point. Though he has questionable power upside, Morel has been a high average guy in the minors and is a slick fielder.

White Sox GM Kenny Williams has hinted at a possible timeshare at third base this season.

"(Brent Morel) can probably play four days a week, and you can still get the benefit of having his defense out there and growth offensively," Williams said. The Sox love Morel's defense, and while the 23-year-old could probably use a little more seasoning as a hitter, he didn't embarrass himself during his cup of coffee last season. Manager Ozzie Guillen has indicated that Mark Teahen is the favorite to start at the hot corner, so we could see a platoon between the left- and right-handed hitters. Dayan Viciedo is also in the mix but is likely ticketed for Triple-A to start the year.

When asked if Brent Morel will be his starting third baseman this season, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said, "That would be a slap in the face of Teahen."

Morel certainly deserves consideration, but he'll really have to impress during spring training in order to swipe the job away from Mark Teahen, who is set to earn $4.75 million in 2011 and $5.5 million in 2012. Both players have limited fantasy value anyway, so if they can be downgraded further if they end up splitting time at the position. Dayan Viciedo is another candidate for the job, though he could see some time in the outfield during spring training.

Brent Morel will make his first major league start at third base on Thursday afternoon against the Tigers.

He'll play third in place of Mark Teahen, who committed two errors in Wednesday's loss. Morel, 23, batted .322/.359/.480 with 10 home runs and 64 RBI between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte this season. He struck as a pinch-hitter in his first major league at-bat on Tuesday.

White Sox purchased the contract of third baseman Brent Morel from Triple-A Charlotte.

Morel was a bit of a disappointment at Double-A Birmingham to start the year, but he hit .320/.348/.503 with eight homers in 81 games after moving up to Charlotte. His line-drive swing could make him manager Ozzie Guillen's preferred pinch-hitting option this month.