Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki: Expected to break camp with Mariners

General manager Jerry Dipoto said Suzuki will be on Seattle's Opening Day roster when the team kicks off its season against the A's in Tokyo, assuming he's healthy, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. "I would stop short of guaranteeing it, because we have to make sure he's healthy. But he'll be on our roster," Dipoto said. "We feel strongly that it's the right thing to do for our franchise and the right thing to do for the NPB and believe it's the right thing to do for Ichiro. What happens thereafter remains to be seen."

Suzuki opened the 2018 season with the Mariners, but ultimately transitioned into a front-office role in May following a slow start to the campaign (.205/.255/.205 through 15 games). It sounds like Suzuki will rejoin the Mariners one last time for the team's two-game set in his native Japan, as both teams will be allowed to carry 28 players for the season-opening series. The veteran outfielder will likely call it quits when Seattle returns stateside and shifts back to a traditional 25-man roster, though nothing has been confirmed at this point. It will be a well-deserved sendoff for the Japanese legend, who hit a combined .322/.373/.434 with 4,367 hits, 235 homers and 708 stolen bases across 27 seasons in the majors and Japan.