"The record will have to wait because Ichiro Suzuki could use a "day off."

The Mariners' slumping right fielder was designated hitter for the second time this season on Monday as manager Eric Wedge tried to find a way to rest him.

"It's not considered a real day off," Wedge said. "But it does help. Just getting him off his feet does help a little bit."

Ichiro is mired in one of the worst batting slumps in his career. Even after getting two hits in Sunday's win, Ichiro had just 12 hits in his past 71 at-bats. A career .329 hitter, Ichiro was hitting .264 going into Monday's game.

"I thought the two balls he hit yesterday looked like the Ichiro we are familiar with," Wedge said. "I felt like he's had a couple of other at-bats that have been good indicators. You know he's going to get going so you stick with him, stay supportive and wait for it to happen."

Ichiro will be back in right field today and will be two games away from making franchise history.

Ichiro has played 1,351 games in right field for the Mariners. He's one behind Jay Buhner, who played a franchise-high 1,352 games in right.

So Ichiro will likely break the record on Wednesday.

It's a testament to his durability. Of the 1,680 games the Mariners have played since he signed with the team, Ichiro has played in 1,647 of them, including 1,615 of them in the outfield."