Rangers' Diekman could miss 1st half of season after colitis surgery
A battle with ulcerative colitis has forced Jake Diekman to begin the 2017 season on the sidelines.
The Texas Rangers left-hander is scheduled to undergo surgery to help alleviate his colitis on Jan. 25, and is expected to miss at least the first half of the season as a result, general manager Jon Daniels confirmed to reporters Tuesday.
Daniels told Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News that while the Rangers will miss him in the bullpen, Diekman "is doing the right thing" by having the surgery.
Diekman was first diagnosed with colitis at age 10. He's experienced flare-ups in the past - including one while he was with the Phillies in 2014 - that were helped through medication, according to the Dallas Morning News. But a flare-up suffered during the holiday season was apparently worse than those before, and ultimately made surgery a necessity, reported Jared Sandler of 105.3 The Fan.
Diekman, who joined the Rangers along with Cole Hamels in a July 2015 trade, was a key part of the AL West champions' bullpen in 2016, posting a 3.40 ERA and striking out 10 batters per nine innings.
The soon-to-be 30-year-old avoided arbitration with the Rangers by agreeing to a one-year, $2.55-million deal Friday.