Bloomquist announced his retirement on Twitter on Friday.
Bloomquist last swung a bat in June 2015 and likely wasn't finding a team for 2016, so he'll hang it up and a career spanning 14 seasons. He played for four different teams in his career and finished with a career .269/.316/.342 line and appearances at every position on the field except for pitcher and catcher.
Utility man Willie Bloomquist earned a start at shortstop for the Mariners on Saturday, hitting eighth in the lineup as they take on the Rays.
Bloomquist has played the most at short for the M's this season, but hasn't provided them much punch, as he's hitting just .163 with three RBIs on the year.
The Mariners have struggled to find consistent production at short, with Brad Miller hitting just .228 and Chris Taylor not hitting before he was sent to Triple-A.
Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano was held out of the team's starting lineup for Friday's game against Cleveland. It's the second straight game he's missed due to an illness.
Cano is replaced by Willie Bloomquist, who makes his first start at second base this season. It's the sixth different position where Bloomquist has started this year. He'll bat eighth in the lineup.
Mariners right fielder Willie Bloomquist went 1 for 4 at the plate in Seattle's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays on Saturday. Bloomquist did his damage in the third inning when he belted a double off of Mark Buehrle, scoring two runs.
"It felt great. I'm not going to lie," Bloomquist said to MLB.com. "It's been a little bit of a battle for me so far this year, but to come up with a big hit in a big situation right there was obviously that we needed today as a team. And for me, personally, it felt pretty good."
Bloomquist is now hitting .184 with three RBI in 38 at-bats this season.
"I don't hit too many of them, but I did think I got that one," said Bloomquist. "I thought I got enough of it. But you hear the thump against the wall, and you're like, 'C'mon, really?' Then I watched the replay, and we're talking less than a foot. I'm heading to the weight room right now to get another set in."
The slumping Mariners juggled their lineup for Wednesday's game against the Orioles, hoping to find a spark for a team that hasn't lived up to expectations.
Willie Bloomquist returns to the starting lineup for the first time in 11 games, hitting second and playing left field, while Justin Ruggiano and Rickie Weeks also draw rare starts in center and DH, respectively.
Those moves bump Dustin Ackley and Brad Miller out of the lineup. Ackley has seen his average plummet to .186 this season. Miller has been one of the hottest Seattle hitters, but went 0-for-4 Tuesday to snap a six-game hitting streak.
The Mariners have made some changes to their lineup for Wednesday's matchup with the Angels, batting designated hitter Rickie Weeks and left fielder Willie Bloomquist atop the lineup against lefty C.J. Wilson.
Weeks hasn't led off since April 15, while Bloomquist hasn't hit higher than seventh in any of his five starts.
The Mariners are underdogs (+134) on the road Wednesday, per VegasInsider.com.
Mariners third baseman Kyle Seager has been given his first day off in 2015 with a lefty-lefty matchup against Rangers starter Wandy Rodriguez on tap for Wednesday night.
Willie Bloomquist is set to start instead.
Seager is batting .300 against southpaws this season, but has been slumping a bit of late. He has just five hits in his last 25 at-bats.
Mariners first baseman Logan Morrison and outfielders Austin Jackson and Dustin Ackley are not in the starting lineup for Monday's matchup with the Rangers.
The Mariners are slotting Justin Ruggiano in the leadoff slot and starting him in center field. It's the 19th time he's acted as his team's leadoff hitter, and he's posted a .177/.261/.380 line with four home runs and four stolen bases in 79 at-bats while in the No. 1 slot.
Rickie Weeks is getting the start in left field and batting sixth Monday, while Willie Bloomquist is playing first base and batting eighth.
The game is a dead heat in Las Vegas, with both teams having the same odds (-105).
The Mariners will be without three regulars in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against Texas.
Catcher Mike Zunino, shortstop Brad Miller and left fielder Dustin Ackley are all out of the lineup, getting rest.
Jesus Sucre gets the start at catcher, just his second appearance of the season. He'll hit ninth in the order.
Willie Bloomquist gets his fourth appearance of the year, starting at short and batting seventh. Justin Ruggiano will play left and bat sixth.
Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon is going with six right-handed hitters against the Athletics Friday night, according to MLB.com.
With Athletics southpaw Drew Pomeranz on the mound, McClendon is giving Dustin Ackley and shortstop Brad Miller some rest. Both are left-handed hitters and McClendon has opted for outfielder Justin Ruggiano and shortstop Willie Bloomquist instead.
Ruggiano is hitting sixth and Bloomquist ninth. The only left-handed hitters in the lineup are Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager and Logan Morrison.
Mariners utility player Willie Bloomquist has said he is fully recovered coming off microfracture knee surgery in August. On Tuesday, manager Lloyd McClendon told reporters he has seen enough from Bloomquist to agree with his assessment.
“He’s fine,” McClendon said. “He’s passed all the tests. In my mind, he’s a go.”
Mariners veteran infielder Willie Bloomquist is doing it all for Seattle this spring. Monday, he was given his first start at shortstop after playing second and first most of camp. For Bloomquist, who is coming off of microfracture knee surgery in the offseason, it was a chance to loosen up a bit, reports MLB.com.
"It is an important step," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "I think his legs are under him a little more now and he's feeling a lot better. "He booted the one ball, but it wasn't because of lack of mobility. He just booted it. He looked OK."
Bloomquist is expected to back up Brad Miller after Chris Taylor suffered a broken bone in his wrist.
Willie Bloomquist returned from surgery on his right knee and played in his first spring game for the Mariners on Friday.
Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reported that Bloomquist's knee passed the test without any problems. Bloomquist is scheduled to play first base on Sunday.
Mariners utility player Willie Bloomquist ran the bases Monday and will do so again Tuesday as he works his way back from knee surgery, per MLB.com. Manager Lloyd McClendon said Bloomquist is well ahead of schedule.
Mariners shortstop Willie Bloomquist told reporters on Saturday that "they will ease me into things slowly, but I am ready to go," per the Tacoma News Tribune.
Bloomquist had microfracture surgery on his right knee in August. He batted .278 in 47 games last season.
Mariners shortstop Willie Bloomquist, who had microfracture surgery on his right knee in August, has begun running and is expected to be ready for spring training, reports 710 ESPN in Seattle. He batted .278 in 47 games last season.
Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said Monday veteran utility player Willie Bloomquist, who underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee in August, is on track to be ready for spring training, per MLB.com.
"Right now, everything we're being told is he's on target and feeling really good," Zduriencik said. "He should be ready for spring training. If that isn't the case, we'd be in position where we could fill a need if we had to for a while, depending on his situation. But we're expecting him to be ready to go."
The Mariners have activated infielder Willie Bloomquist from the 60-day disabled list Friday.
Bloomquist had microfracture surgery in August. He's not eligible to be on the 60-day DL in the offseason, but could be placed back on it next season if he still needs time to rehab.
The Mariners announced their September callups on Monday. The following players were promoted from the minors: Corey Hart, Justin Smoak, Stefen Romero, Humberto Quintero, Taijuan Walker and Lucas Luetge, Carson Smith. Additionally, Willie Bloomquist was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.
Mariners infielder Willie Bloomquist underwent microfracture surgery Friday on his injured knee and will miss the remainder of the season, the Seattle Times reports.
Bloomquist will be on crutches for the next six-to-eight weeks. He's hoping to be ready to return by spring training.