Aoki playing way into lineup: Brewers outfielder Norichika Aoki has been one of the team's best hitters lately, producing a .400 average (12 for 30) with two triples, three doubles and three RBI in his last 10 games (six starts). His recent surge has resulted in more playing time and that trend will continue if he stays hot, manager Ron Roenicke told reporters prior to Wednesday's game against San Francisco. "As long as he continues to do what he's doing and as long as we see Corey (Hart) going to first base helps us as an offense, then I would say (more playing time for Aoki) is going to happen," Roenicke said. "He's really hitting well against lefties but he's hitting well against righties, too. He's having some really good at-bats. He sees pitches. I like the at-bats he gives you. He doesn't chase many pitches out of the zone. He's able to hit a lot of different pitches. He hits the ball the other way. He can pull it. He's been a nice addition to our offense." (Updated 05/23/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 5/25/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Aoki had pretty good offensive numbers during his tenure in Japan. He didn't have great home run power, but in his last five seasons for Yakult he produced a .329 average, .408 OBP, .467 slugging percentage and .875 OPS. He does have the offensive skills and might be able to produce with everyday at-bats. He is certainly worth a flier now in NL-only Fantasy formats and perhaps should start appearing on radars in deeper mixed leagues. (Updated 05/23/2012).
05/24/2012 16:56 Aoki is getting a lot of attention
Milwaukee outfielder Norichika Aoki lifted his game which has garnered him a substantial amount of views on CBSSports.com. The Fantasy Baseball 360 crew breaks down what's behind all the attention he's getting.
05/22/2012 23:44 Posey's monster HR keeps Giants hot
Buster Posey homered off the Miller Park scoreboard and had three RBIs as the San Francisco Giants beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-4 on Tuesday night.
05/22/2012 01:00 Sanchez's HR in 14th wins it for Giants
Backup catcher Hector Sanchez led off the 14th inning with a home run and the San Francisco Giants beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 on Monday night.
05/21/2012 14:17 MLB top 10 plays of the week: 5/21
Where does Norichika Aoki land in the top 10 after channeling his inner Willie Mays? Did Vernon Wells grab the top spot for stealing a home run? Adam Aizer has your top plays from the diamond this past week.
05/20/2012 18:00 Greinke, Brewers mow down Twins
Jonathan Lucroy homered twice and had a career-high seven RBI, Zack Greinke pitched six strong innings to improve to 14-0 at Miller Park, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Minnesota Twins 16-4 on Sunday.
After winning the rights to negotiate with Norichika Aoki, the Brewers were able to sign the Japanese outfielder during the offseason and will look to him to be their fourth outfielder. Aoki spent the last eight seasons playing for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of the Japanese Central League. He was the Central League batting champion in 2005 (.344), 2007 (.346) and 2010 (.358) and won the 2005 Rookie of the Year award. Aoki had a down campaign for the Swallows last season, hitting just .292 with four homers, but he's a career .329 hitter in Japan and is known for his defensive prowess. He won't get full-time at-bats unless someone ahead of him gets injured but when he is in the lineup, he should at least be a viable contact hitter. Aoki is worth a look in deeper NL-only formats. (Updated 2/23/12)
Actual 
AccuScore Projections) Note: Points are rounded down.
