Brewers right fielder Norichika Aoki traveled back to Milwaukee on Wednesday to be with wife Sachi, who is scheduled to deliver the couple’s second child (a son) on Thursday. The Brewers placed Aoki on the paternity list and called-up utility man Josh Prince from Triple-A Nashville to take Aoki’s place.

The right-handed-hitting Prince and left-handed Caleb Gindl will presumably start the final two games of this road trip in Aoki’s absence. Left-hander Erik Bedard is on the mound for the Astros on Wednesday night, and right-hander Lucas Harrell starts Thursday afternoon.

In other news, FoxSports.com’s Jon Paul Morosi attended Major League Baseball’s Diversity Business Summit in Houston on Wednesday and spoke to Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio, who quelled any speculation that manager Ron Roenicke’s job is in danger because of the team’s 28-41 record.

“We’ve had a lot of success under Ron,” Attanasio told Morosi. “Ron’s best attribute is that he’s the same person when we won 96 games [in 2011] as, unfortunately, [during] a season where we’re in last place.”

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Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun was in Phoenix on Tuesday to see Dr. Don Sheridan, the hand specialist who has worked on a number of players over the years including second baseman Rickie Weeks.

Assistant general manager Gord Ash said the trip represented “a due diligence second opinion” on the injury that sent Braun to the disabled list for the first time in his career, and was not a reflection of any new development.

Braun had been playing through an inflamed nerve between his right thumb and forefinger for several weeks, hitting with diminished power. When skipping the Brewers’ three-game series in Miami did not cure the problem, the club opted to put Braun on the DL.

Ash said Braun was expected to rejoin the team on Wednesday. He is eligible for reinstatement from the DL on June 25.

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The Brewers finalized a $1.35 contract Sunday with right-hander Davin Williams, their top pick in this month’s First-Year Player Draft.

Williams, from Hazelwood West High School near St. Louis, received a bonus in excess of the $1,017,300 slotted by Major League Baseball for the 54th overall pick. Part of his package included compensation for forgoing a scholarship to the University of Missouri, which is common practice in signing high school picks.

All along, it was clear the Brewers and Williams’ agent, Jason Wood, were going to strike a deal. Williams was in Milwaukee last week for a physical exam and motion analysis test, then returned to St. Louis for a going away party with family and friends. Brewers officials met him there Sunday with his contract.

Williams will travel to Phoenix on Monday to begin his professional career with the Brewers’ rookie league affiliate. Among his teammates there will be infielder Tucker Neuhaus, who received a $771,000 bonus as Milwaukee’s supplemental second-round pick.

On Draft night, the Brewers’ buzzwords on Williams were “athleticism” and “upside.” Most scouting reports used the word “projectable” to describe the 6-foot-3, 165-pounder, who throws a fastball in the low- to mid-90s, a slider, changeup with fade and curveball.

He touched 96 mph at a pre-draft workout for the Cardinals at Busch Stadium but mostly pitched at 90-94 mph during his senior season, when Williams went 6-1 with a 1.02 ERA and one save in nine games, with 93 strikeouts in 48 innings and a .102 opponents’ batting average.

With Williams in the fold, the Brewers have signed each of their top 11 selections from the Draft.

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Outfielder Norichika Aoki will be on high alert this week as the Brewers continue their long road trip. His wife, Sachi, is about to give birth to the couple’s second child.

“Any day now,” Aoki said.

Her due date is Thursday, when the Brewers finish their three-city trip with an afternoon game in Houston. Sachi is back in Milwaukee with her mother, and if she goes into labor while the team is still on the road, Aoki will return early to be by her side.

The couple has a daughter named Emily, and is expecting a son this time.

“It’s always on my mind,” Aoki said through translator Kosuke Inaji. “Ron [Roenicke, the Brewers manager] joked about it, saying I’d better have my phone on me when I’m out in the field. I was planning on having the phone while I’m at bat.”

Aoki smiles and assumes his batting stance, with one hand holding an imaginary cell phone to his left ear.

“I like to play in games and contribute to the team, but at the same time, my wife is in a foreign country and she doesn’t understand too much English,” Aoki said. “I would like to be there for her when she is having the baby.”

Any day now.

“Today is Father’s Day, and it got me thinking,” Aoki said. “Maybe today.”

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Brewers slugger Ryan Braun appeared bound for the 15-day disabled list after experiencing more of the same sharp pain in his right hand during batting practice Friday.

The session, Braun’s first swings in five days, were viewed as a last chance to avoid the DL for what the player has described as an inflamed nerve between his right thumb and index finger. He was removed in the third inning of Sunday’s game against the Phillies at Miller Park and sat out the Brewers’ entire three-game series in Miami, hoping the pain would quiet with some rest.

On one of his first swings behind the batting cage Friday, it was clear from his grimace it did not work.

“More of the same,” Braun said. “It basically has been the same for a while. Everything we have tried to get to the point where I can take a regular swing [has not helped. We’ve tried different wraps on the bat, different padding on the batting gloves. We’ve basically tried everything we can think of.”

The last resort would be Braun’s first-ever trip to the disabled list.

“The next step is something I don’t want to do,” manager Ron Roenicke said before those batting practice swings. “But if that’s the best way to do it, then we’ll do it. That’s why we want to see where he is today. If he’s really good, then we know where to go.”

And if he was not really good?

“We’ve talked about all the different things,” Roenicke said.

Braun has been dealing with pain near his right thumb for about a month, yet still entered the weekend among the National League leaders in slugging percentage (ninth, .509), on-base percentage (10th, .380) and OPS (10th, 890). He was batting .304 with nine home runs and 36 RBIs.

The conundrum for the Brewers has been this: Braun can play, and even swinging at 60-70 percent of full strength he can be a dangerous hitter. But is it worth perpetuating the injury over the entire season, or even making it worse?

With no signs of progress, it appeared club officials would answer “no” to that question. If Braun goes to the DL, Logan Schafer would continue playing regularly in left field and the Brewers would bring back either Khris Davis or Josh Prince from Triple-A Nashville.

EDIT: Or Caleb Gindl, who is also on the 40-man roster, batting .364 over his last 10 games and was a last-minute scratch from the Sounds’ lineup on Friday night.

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There was nothing official from the Brewers or agent Jason Wood on Thursday, but all signs pointed to the team finalizing a contract for second-round Draft pick Devin Williams by the end of the weekend.

Williams, a right-handed pitcher from a St. Louis-area high school, was Milwaukee’s top pick in the First-Year Player Draft because the team surrendered its first round selection to sign Kyle Lohse. Williams was in Milwaukee for a physical exam on Wednesday (he Tweeted a nice aerial shot of Miller Park on his way into town) and was to undergo a motion analysis study on Thursday — standard operating procedure for pitchers in the Brewers pipeline.

Look for Williams to receive a bonus above the $1,017,300 slotted by Major League Baseball for the 54th overall pick.

So, barring an unforeseen snag, a deal will get done. In the meantime, you can revisit my story about Williams and the Brewers’ other Day 1 Draft pick, Tucker Neuhaus. The Brewers have not formally announced any Draft signings, but they already have finalized a $771,000 bonus for Neuhaus, who was also in Milwaukee on Thursday, and third-round pick Barrett Astin.

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UPDATE: Braun just left the game in the bottom of the third inning. Updated information below. 

The Brewers removed left fielder Ryan Braun in the third inning Sunday because of soreness in his right thumb, the same ailment of which manager Ron Roenicke spoke with some urgency only a few hours earlier.

The Brewers were leading the Phillies, 4-0, when Braun abruptly exited. He struck out in the first inning and was replaced by Logan Schafer when that spot in the lineup came around again in the bottom of the third.

“We’ve got to figure out what to do there,” Roencike said. “We’ve got to start going in the right direction with him, and sometimes it’s not. … I’m hoping we don’t have to [place him on the disabled list], but we start making gains and he says, ‘Yeah, I feel really good today,’ and then all of a sudden it’s a bad day and a setback.

“We keep going this back and forth. He’s out there playing, hitting third for us, and I expect the Braun that I’ve seen for the last two years, and he’s not the same. He’s still getting hits, he’s still helping us win games, but he’s not that guy that can carry a team like I know he can.”

Roenicke said he had a plan for Braun on the upcoming, three-city road trip, which includes a pair of off-days between stops.

Braun, who has contributed at least 30 homers and 110 RBIs in Roenicke’s first two full seasons as Brewers manager, entered Sunday hitting .305 with nine home runs and 36 RBIs, a pace for 24 homers and 94 RBIs. He has been adjusting his swing to compensate for pain in his thumb, and was homerless in his previous 64 plate appearances.

That Braun’s power has been sapped was evident by the Brewers’ first-inning strategy Sunday. After Norichika Aoki took a walk from Phillies starter Jonathan Pettibine, Jean Segura popped out a bunt attempt and Aoki was caught trying to steal second base. Braun then struck out on a foul tip.

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The Brewers reportedly had an agreement in place Sunday with the second of their two Day 1 selections in the First-Year Player Draft, Florida prep infielder Tucker Neuhaus, and were bringing top pick Devin Williams to Milwaukee for a physical exam.

Brewers amateur scouting director Bruce Seid followed policy by declining to comment on signings before they were official.

“I will say this,” Seid said. “We’re definitely very confident about signing most of our guys in the top 10 rounds.”

Patrick Ebert of Perfect Game USA, which organizes showcases for Draft prospects, reported that Neuhaus had a deal in place for a $771,000 bonus. That is exactly Major League Baseball’s slot recommendation for the 72nd overall pick.

Meanwhile, Williams, a right-handed pitcher who went to the Brewers in the second round at No. 54 overall, posted Sunday on Twitter that he was, “Heading to Milwaukee Wednesday then I’m off to AZ Thursday!”

Milwaukee would be the site of a physical, and the Brewers’ summer rookie league team is in Phoenix. But Williams’ agent, Jason Wood, said no agreement was in place as of midday Sunday.

MLB assigned a value of $1,017,300 for the 54th overall pick, but Wood said the Brewers and other clubs were aware going into the Draft that Williams sought a bonus above that figure. Williams, of Hazelwood West High School near St. Louis, has said he hoped to be a first-rounder.

“They know exactly what Devin wants and I’m very confident that something will get done,” Wood said.

The Brewers have a $3,944,600 bonus pool allotted for their top 10 selections. If the team exceeds its amount, it faces financial penalties or the loss of future picks.

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It turns out the Brewers drafted a serious Cardinals fan and the son of a Cubs fan with their two picks on Day 1 of the First-Year Player Draft.

“I couldn’t be a Cardinals fan anymore last night,” said right-hander Devin Williams, Milwaukee’s top pick.

Things should be a bit easier for the Brewers’ second pick, Florida prep infielder Tucker Neuhaus. He was born in Minnesota, has family in central Wisconsin, and his father, Kenneth, played baseball at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. But Kenneth Neuhaus grew up a big Cubs fan, and took his son to many a game at Wrigley Field.

“To see me get drafted by the Brewers, right away he said, ‘Now I’m just a Wrigley Field fan but a fan of the Brewers,’” said Tucker Neuhaus, who called himself a big fan of the Green Bay Packers.

Williams, who went to the Brewers in the second round Thursday with the 54th overall pick, and Neuhaus, who went 72nd overall in the Competitive Balance phase, participated in conference calls with reporters on Friday afternoon.

Even though Brewers area scout Harvey Kuenn Jr. had shown keen interest in Williams throughout the process, the pick still came as a surprise.

“I actually thought I would be off the board before they picked,” Williams said, “but I know they had been pretty interested. They sent a lot of people to see me play this spring, and I’m happy to be their first pick. … I was pretty surprised. I thought I would go there at the end of the first round, but I’m happy with where I went.”

Does that mean he could be a tough sign? Williams has a scholarship waiting for him at Missouri.

“No, I don’t think I will be that tough of a sign,” Williams said. “I’m ready to get my pro career started.”

Neuhaus, who is represented by agent Barry Meister and has a college commitment to Louisville, sounded even more eager.

“My area scout [Tim McIlvane] came over today and we just talked about everything that’s going to go down in the next few days and the summer,” Neuhaus said. “My agent and advisor, I think, are just doing a little bit of negotiations right now but I think that’s going to be probably over by the end of the day. Hopefully I’ll sign tomorrow or Sunday and be out in Arizona by Tuesday.”

Neuhaus has had a challenging few months. His older brother, Tyler, was killed in an auto accident in November, and Tucker’s senior season was ruined by injuries, including a ruptured eardrum suffered with Brewers amateur scouting director Bruce Seid in the stands, and a right quadriceps strain.

He finished his senior season with fewer than 30 at-bats, but still had a good feeling about being drafted by the Brewers. He worked out for the Royals in Kansas City on Sunday, for the Twins in Minneapolis on Monday and for the Cubs in Chicago on Tuesday morning. On Monday afternoon, McIlvane requested that Neuhaus make Tuesday a doubleheader, so after his morning session at Wrigley Field he hustled up to Miller Park.

“That work paid off — it did everything for me,” Neuhaus said. “I went over there for a private workout and got to hit on the field and meet all the guys. That was just a blast. Walking out of there, I remember saying to  my dad, ‘I don’t know what it was about Miller Park, but that was my favorite out of all of them.’”

He remembered another conversation from months earlier, when he was called over to the fence by a stranger who apparently knew about Neuhaus’ family tragedy and injury woes.

“He just said, ‘It’s good to see you have a smile on your face, that shows a lot about you,’” Neuhaus said. “I said, ‘Thank you, sir,’ and right at the end, he goes, ‘By the way, I’m the scouting director with the Brewers.’ That was the first time I really met [Seid]. The first impression was that after all the adversity, I was still staying positive. I think that first impression really helped me with Bruce.”

How did his brother’s death change him as a person and a baseball player?

“It really just made me tougher mentally,” Neuhaus said. “Adversity builds character, and a lot of kids don’t go through that type of adversity at this kind of age, or really ever, in their life. I knew that right away it’s only going to be one more thing that lights the fire every morning. In the long run, it’s going to pay off; going through adversity like that is only going to make me stronger. When I go through adversity in the Minors and the Majors, it’s not going to compare to what I’ve already been through.

“I try to be positive with almost everything. It’s a terrible thing that happened, but at the end of the day I try to look at it as a positive.”

The 2013 First-Year Player Draft is still going. You can follow all of the picks with MLB.com’s Draft Tracker.

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Ryan Braun was absent from the Brewers’ lineup Wednesday, with manager Ron Roenicke citing a flare-up of a right thumb injury that has bothered Braun for weeks.

Braun’s absence came with him squarely in the sports spotlight, after an ESPN “Outside the Lines” report renewed worry at Miller Park that he could face a suspension. But it was also notable because the Brewers sat cleanup man Aramis Ramirez on Wednesday as well, leaving the team without both of its usual middle-of-the-order hitters in the lineup against A’s right-hander Bartolo Colon. Ramirez has been missing most day games following night games to rest a still-healing knee.

“I would prefer, ideally, to have them different days,” Roenicke said. “Sometimes the way the schedule works out — what was it, a week ago I had them off the same day, also?”

That was May 27, the first day Braun needed a break because of a painful thumb injury that has forced him to adjust his swing.

“It’s the same thing with ‘Braunie’ [on Wednesday],” Roenicke said. “We gain a little bit, and then he’ll have a game where it really bothers him. Somehow, we have to get rid of this thing in the thumb. We need our third and fourth hitters. We’ve got both of them that I’m kind of nursing along, and we really need production.

“I think for us to get on a roll — we’re pitching better now, and hopefully that continues – but I’m concerned that the offense with [Jean Segura and Norichika Aoki] getting on base a lot, both [Braun and Ramirez] need to drive in runs, and both of them are trying to get by nursing some injuries that’s really preventing them from playing well. Braunie hasn’t swung the bat well for a while, and ‘Ramie’ is kind of off and on, but he’s not himself, either.”

Braun entered Wednesday batting .292 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs. He is batting .213 with one home run and seven RBIs in his last 15 starts, and was homerless in his last 51 plate appearances.

On top of that, the Brewers went into Wednesday’s game 22-35, and, personally, Braun was back in an unwanted spotlight after ESPN reported that Anthony Bosch, the former head of the Miami anti-aging clinic accused of providing banned substances to a number of high-profile players, had agreed to cooperate with Major League Baseball’s ongoing probe. According to the report, MLB will seek to suspend some 20 players connected to the clinic, including Braun, based on Bosch’s testimony.

Roenicke insisted he has seen no outward signs of frustration from his star left fielder.

“Not outwardly,” Roenicke said. “He’s frustrated, just like a lot of guys on the team are. He’s frustrated for two reasons: Because we’re not playing well as a team … and he’s not performing at a level he’s used to performing at. He has spurts where he does well, but he really hasn’t been consistent for a long period of time. Because we’re not winning, it becomes bigger to him.”

Of the Miami issue, Roenicke said, “It really doesn’t bother me, because I don’t know what’s going on, and really it’s not an issue to me. If something comes up, it comes up later on, but I really haven’t thought about this. The rest of the team, it’s not an issue. It’s something that’s been ongoing for a while now. Why it came up yesterday, I have no idea. There’s no reason for me to think any different about it now than I did in Spring Training.”

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