Aoki is expected to play only against right-handers, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

Aoki wasn't very good against left-handers in 2016, hitting just .227 off of them, but that looks like the outlier. Over five MLB seasons, he's a career .308-hitter against southpaws. The plan is to give Carlos Beltran between 30 and 40 starts in the field, allowing manager A.J. Hinch to be flexible in his use of the designated hitter.