Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki: Will get Opening Day start

Mariners manager Scott Servais said that Suzuki will be included in the starting lineup for the club's regular-season opener March 20 against the Athletics in Tokyo, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

From the moment Suzuki re-signed with the Mariners in January on a minor-league deal, it was always likely that he would join the big club for its two-game trip to his native Japan. There's a decent possibility that Suzuki starts both Wednesday and Thursday in his home country, but his future with the Mariners beyond this week is more questionable. General manager Jerry Dipoto has previously stated that Suzuki will be given a fair chance to compete for his place on the roster once the club returns to North America, but there might not be much incentive for a rebuilding organization to keep a spot open for a 45-year-old outfielder.