Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said that if Prince Fielder leaves via free agency and the team doesn't bring another big hitter in, Rickie Weeks is the most likely candidate to bat cleanup.

Weeks batted .269/.350/.468 with 20 homers in 2011 despite being hobble by an ankle injury for most of the second half. He slugged .464 with 29 homers in 2010. Ideally, the Brewers would probably prefer to bat him second or fifth, but they could get by with Weeks as a No. 4 hitter.

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said the struggling Rickie Weeks will continue to start at second base as long as his ankle allows him to do so.

Weeks has batted just .067 (1-for-15) through four postseason games, which includes an 0-for-5 showing in Game 4 where he left six runners on base. Roenicke said Weeks' ankle is still an issue, but he should be able to play through it unless he has a setback. "You guys still see the ankle, it isn't right. We knew it wouldn't be," Roenicke said. "But we were hoping offensively that he would get locked in and be able to really hold down that fifth spot, which we've talked about all year."

Rickie Weeks went 0-for-5 in Wednesday's Game 4 NLDS loss to Arizona.

He also stranded six base-runners. Weeks has one hit in 15 at-bats in the playoffs and is batting .053 in his limited postseason career.

Rickie Weeks struck out all three times he was up before being removed from Wednesday's game against the Brewers.

The experiment of using Weeks as a No. 5 hitter isn't working at the moment. He has just five runs scored and eight RBI in 19 games there. He had 67 runs scored and 39 RBI in 93 games as a leadoff man.

Rickie Weeks admits that he'll have to deal with pain in his ankle for the rest of the year.

He returned to the lineup Monday after sitting out a couple games due to ongoing soreness in the ankle. It was the first time since being activated from the DL that he played a full game. "It wasn't 100 percent," he said, "but I'm not going to be there for a while. I'm dealing with it." The second baseman is batting .231/.500/.308 in 13 at-bats since returning.

Rickie Weeks played his first full game Monday since returning from a severe ankle sprain.

"He said he felt good after the game, so I think that's a good sign," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. Weeks went 0-for-3 with a walk, but he's getting healthier at the perfect time. He'll play a major role for first-place Milwaukee this October.

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke didn't start Rickie Weeks Saturday after the second baseman admitted to soreness in his left ankle after playing Friday.

Weeks has started four of eight games since being activated from the disabled list. Roenicke admitted that the soreness was a "bit of a red flag," but he's not worried. "He's OK," said Roenicke. "He wanted to play. I decided to give him off. It bothered him a little bit (Friday) night. Not a lot but a little bit. He tried to talk me into playing. I think it's going to be there for a while. You're playing in a game and you may do a certain thing to tweak it, and then the next day you're a little more sore than usual."

Rickie Weeks returned to action on Sunday September 11.

Rickie Weeks (ankle) is making his first start Sunday since landing on the disabled list.

He's only expected to play a few innings before being removed, as the Brewers want to ease him back into things. Sidelined since late July due to a badly sprained left ankle, it will be the first appearance for Weeks since being activated from the DL on Thursday. He shouldn't be used in fantasy leagues until he's able to play a full nine innings.

Rickie Weeks (ankle) might start Sunday for the Brewers.

Weeks would only play a couple of innings before being taken out of the game. He has yet to make an appearance since being activated from the disabled list Thursday, not even as a pinch-hitter. Brewers manager Ron Roenicke wants to ease his second baseman back into the lineup.

Rickie Weeks (ankle) is not quite ready to pinch-hit yet.

The Brewers activated Weeks from the disabled list Thursday, and the expectation was that he would initially serve as a pinch-hitter over the weekend before being eased back into the lineup. But, manager Ron Roenicke had the opportunity to use Weeks Thursday and didn't because he said the second baseman wasn't quite ready. Weeks will take some simulated at-bats against live pitching before Friday's game, and if that goes well, perhaps he'll be cleared to pinch-hit. Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes that Weeks "was noticeably cautious each time he tried rounding second" when running the bases prior to Thursday's game, so it will likely be a while before he rejoins the lineup.

Brewers activated 2B Rickie Weeks from the 15-day disabled list.

Weeks will serve as a pinch-hitter this weekend for the Brewers before returning to the starting lineup by the middle of next week. The All-Star second baseman missed over a month with a severely sprained ankle and returns Thursday evening to a 272/.346/.478 slash line.

During an appearance on 620 WTMJ in Milwaukee, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin confirmed that Rickie Weeks (ankle) will be activated from the disabled list Thursday.

Weeks was cleared to return Wednesday after running the bases for the first time since injuring his left ankle in late July. He won't be put into the starting lineup right away, but is expected to be eased back into action as a pinch-hitter and with short stints in the field. The main goal is having him ready for the postseason, so temper expectations in fantasy leagues.

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said Tuesday that Rickie Weeks (ankle) could return from the disabled list this weekend against the Phillies.

But he won't be put into the starting lineup right away. Weeks isn't quite ready to play the field, but he could be eased back into action with pinch-hit appearances before making short-stints in the field. The primary goal is to have him 100 percent for the postseason, so don't count on him down the stretch in fantasy leagues.

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said he's considering activating Rickie Weeks (ankle) from the disabled list to serve as a pinch-hitter before Weeks is able to play second base.

"We've talked about that," said Roenicke. "There's issues both ways. If you do that, are you setting him back to be a full-time guy? We're not at that point yet. It won't be in the next rew days. Maybe a week before he's ready to come back we have him as a pinch-hit bat. It's real tempting." Weeks has been out since July 27 with a severely sprained left ankle. He seems likely to be ready for full-time duty in a couple weeks.

Rickie Weeks (ankle) took batting practice Friday.

Weeks looked strong, blasting a couple of lengthy home runs during the on-field batting practice session. He should be cleared to begin a minor league rehab assignment by early next week and is likely to return to Milwaukee in early September. The All-Star second baseman has been sidelined since July 27 with a severely sprained left ankle.

Rickie Weeks (ankle) ran on a treadmill Monday.

It's the first sign of significant progress from the Brewers second baseman, who has been sidelined since July 27 with a severely sprained left ankle. Weeks has also taken some light batting practice and fielded a couple grounders. He is aiming to return to Milwaukee in early September.

Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said that Rickie Weeks (ankle) took some light batting practice Wednesday.

Good news, but the Brewers are still bringing him along very slowly following a severely sprained left ankle. He is unlikely to return until September.

Rickie Weeks (ankle) was able to take grounders Sunday for the first time since landing on the disabled list.

Weeks was given a 4-6 week timetable when he went down with a severely sprained left ankle on July 27, but he thinks he's ahead of schedule. Realistically, though, he can't be counted on before the end of August, if not later.

Rickie Weeks said Friday that he is "ahead of schedule" in his recovery from a severely sprained left ankle.

Weeks, who suffered the injury on July 27, was projected to miss 4-6 weeks. He has been playing catch and jogging in a swimming pool and was walking without a limp before Friday's game. "I can put weight on it," said Weeks. "Everything's going good right now." While he is progressing nicely in his rehab, there's no word when he'll begin running. As such, it's difficult to project an accurate timetable for his return.