BREAKING: Ichiro shifts from field to front office

SEATTLE -- Ichiro Suzuki, who began his iconic Major League career 18 seasons ago with the Mariners, will now move into the next chapter of his life as a special assistant advisor with Seattle, the club announced on Thursday.

The 44-year-old Ichiro will not play again this season, but he will travel with the team.

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The 44-year-old Ichiro will not play again this season, but he will travel with the team.

View Full Game Coverage

"He is not retiring -- he's taking on a different role for 2018, and 2019 has yet to evolve," Ichiro's agent, John Boggs, told MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal.

Regarding the possibility that Ichiro could return for the Mariners' Opening Series next season in Japan: "There is always that possibility. ... The future has yet to be determined."

• Look back: Ichiro 30th in MLB history to reach 3,000 hits

Right-handed reliever Erik Goeddel was promoted from Triple-A Tacoma to take Ichiro's spot on the 25-man roster and will be in uniform for Thursday night's series finale with the A's.

"We want to make sure we capture all of the value that Ichiro brings to this team off the field," general manager Jerry Dipoto said. "This new role is a way to accomplish that. While it will evolve over time, the key is that Ichiro's presence in our clubhouse and with our players and staff improves our opportunity to win games. That is our No. 1 priority and Ichiro's No. 1 priority."

Ichiro will work in collaboration with the Mariners' Major League staff, high-performance staff and front-office personnel, Dipoto said. He will assist with outfield play, baserunning and hitting, and he'll advise players and staff.

"With Ichiro's track record of success, his personality, his unique perspective and his work ethic, he is singularly positioned to impact both our younger players and the veterans in the clubhouse," Dipoto said. "We really don't want him to change anything that he's doing right now, with the exception that he will not be playing in games.

"We believe that Ichiro's signing and his assimilation into our team has helped us this season, and we want to make sure we continue that."

Dipoto said the agreement covers only the current season, but he hopes that Ichiro remains with the organization beyond that.

The veteran outfielder re-signed with the Mariners this spring as a free agent and batted .205 (9-for-44) in 15 games while filling in for an injured Ben Gamel in left field. But with Gamel coming off the disabled list two weeks ago, the Mariners haven't had a need for a fifth outfielder and Ichiro's playing time had been sparse.

Ichiro played one final game for Seattle on Wednesday, going 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored, also making a nice running catch in left field to rob the A's Matt Chapman of a hit in the second inning of a 3-2 Mariners loss.

Ichiro has a slash line of .311/.355/.402 in 2,651 games over 18 years in the Majors. His 3,089 hits are the most of any active player and rank 22nd on the all-time list. He's sixth on the all-time singles list with 2,514 and 35th in stolen bases at 509. He set the MLB single-season record for hits with 262 in 2004, and his 10 straight 200-hit seasons is the longest streak in history.

The slender outfielder was a 10-time American League All-Star and a 10-time AL Gold Glove Award winner for the Mariners in his first stint in Seattle, winning AL Rookie of the Year Award and the AL Most Valuable Player Award in 2001, his first season after coming over from Japan.

Ichiro also had 1,278 hits and a batting average of .353 in nine seasons for the Orix BlueWave before becoming one of the first Japanese position players to sign with an MLB team.

The Mariners traded Ichiro to the Yankees midway through the 2012 season, and he played 2 1/2 seasons in New York before signing with the Marlins for three years from 2015-17, then coming full circle with Seattle this spring.

Greg Johns has covered the Mariners since 1997, and for MLB.com since 2011. Follow him on Twitter @GregJohnsMLB.

The 44-year-old Ichiro will not play again this season, but he will travel with the team.

\n \n View Full Game Coverage\n \n \n

\"He is not retiring -- he's taking on a different role for 2018, and 2019 has yet to evolve,\" Ichiro's agent, John Boggs, told MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal.

Regarding the possibility that Ichiro could return for the Mariners' Opening Series next season in Japan: \"There is always that possibility. ... The future has yet to be determined.\"

• Look back: Ichiro 30th in MLB history to reach 3,000 hits

Right-handed reliever Erik Goeddel was promoted from Triple-A Tacoma to take Ichiro's spot on the 25-man roster and will be in uniform for Thursday night's series finale with the A's.

\"We want to make sure we capture all of the value that Ichiro brings to this team off the field,\" general manager Jerry Dipoto said. \"This new role is a way to accomplish that. While it will evolve over time, the key is that Ichiro's presence in our clubhouse and with our players and staff improves our opportunity to win games. That is our No. 1 priority and Ichiro's No. 1 priority.\"

\"With Ichiro's track record of success, his personality, his unique perspective and his work ethic, he is singularly positioned to impact both our younger players and the veterans in the clubhouse,\" Dipoto said. \"We really don't want him to change anything that he's doing right now, with the exception that he will not be playing in games.

\"We believe that Ichiro's signing and his assimilation into our team has helped us this season, and we want to make sure we continue that.\"

Dipoto said the agreement covers only the current season, but he hopes that Ichiro remains with the organization beyond that.

Ichiro also had 1,278 hits and a batting average of .353 in nine seasons for the Orix BlueWave before becoming one of the first Japanese position players to sign with an MLB team.

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The 44-year-old Ichiro will not play again this season, but he will travel with the team.

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