Aoki is not in the lineup Saturday against the Reds, Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Make it three straight on the bench for Aoki. The Giants have not indicated Aoki is dealing with any sort of injury, so it seems Aoki's recent dip in playing time is performance related -- he's 12-for-51 (.235 average) to begin May. With Hunter Pence (forearm) now back on the active roster, Aoki may continue losing out on time to the likes of Gregor Blanco and Justin Maxwell.

Aoki sat for the second-straight game Friday, and the Giants have not reported any sort of injury to their usual left fielder. Manager Bruce Bochy has given Gregor Blanco starts in left field for two consecutive games, despite there being a right-hander on the mound both times. Aoki is mired in a mini-slump over his last 10 games (7-for-35), so Bochy may just be giving him a rest after a heavy workload early in the year. Now things become interesting for Aoki for a separate reason, as Hunter Pence (forearm) is expected to return from the disabled list Saturday, and Bochy has stated that he wants to keep Justin Maxwell's bat in the lineup. How Bochy handles his lineup Saturday and Sunday will give us a good indication of his plans with the outfield moving forward.

Aoki went 2-for-4 with a run, an RBI, and his ninth stolen base of the season Sunday. Aoki also took a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game for the Giants. After a hot-start to the season, he had cooled down over his last five games (.136), but Sunday's across-the-board performance could get him going again.

Aoki went 1-for-3 with his first home run of the season in Sunday's win over the Angels. Aoki got the Giants' offense going with a leadoff homer against Jered Weaver. Power is not a strong part of Aoki's game, so Sunday's long ball was just icing on top of his early season contributions in batting average, runs, and stolen bases.

Aoki went 2-for-5 Saturday with two RBI and his seventh steal of the season. The Giants may have a hard time sitting Aoki down when Hunter Pence (forearm) comes off the DL, given Aoki's impressive .306/.387/.378 slash line at the top of their batting order.

Aoki went 2-for-5 with a run, and RBI, and his sixth stolen base of the season in Monday's loss to the Dodgers. Aoki continues his hot start to the 2015 season, batting over .300 and swiping six bags (tied for fourth in MLB) through 20 games. He stated in the offseason that he was glad to join the Giants so he can be more aggressive on the basepaths, and he has definitely backed up his claims so far. He is only two seasons removed from a 30 stolen base season, and it looks like he is well on his way to that total this year. Manager Bruce Bochy did just state that he wants to keep the hot-hitting Justin Maxwell in the lineup once Hunter Pence (forearm) returns sometime in May, but with how well Aoki is playing, a platoon situation is likely in left field. Either way, Pence is still a few weeks away from returning, and Aoki should be owned while his bat is this hot.

Aoki is at risk of losing playing time upon the return of Hunter Pence (forearm), Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Aoki has been the Giants' primary left-fielder for most of the season, but things will get a bit crowded after Pence is ready for game action. This has been complicated lately by the emergence of Justin Maxwell, who has collected three long balls in his last five games. Aoki will be tough to bench, however, as he's currently getting on base at a .391 clip.

Aoki is out of the lineup Friday against the Rockies, Alex Pavolovic of CSN Bay Area reports. An 0-for-5 showing for Aoki in Thursday's win over the Dodgers marked just the second time this season he has failed to record at least one hit. He will sit Friday after rattling off 17 straight starts to begin the year, with Gregor Blanco taking over in left field and atop the batting order.

Aoki went 2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in Monday's loss to the Rockies. Despite a .474 on-base percentage so far this season, he's scored just four runs this season. Monday was emblematic of the Giants' troubles to score runs - they went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

Aoki bat leadoff for the Giants on Monday, going 2-for-5 with a run scored in the win over Arizona. Manager Bruce Bochy kept his word and slotted Aoki atop his lineup card to start the season. He will likely stay in that spot against right-handed starters until Hunter Pence (forearm) returns, making him a solid source of runs and stolen bases.