For nearly two months, Jake Diekman has been a constant companion for the Texas Rangers.
Unable to play because of the long process he is taking to rid his life of ulcerative colitis, the left-hander has, nonetheless, not missed a day since the Rangers opened spring training, shut it down and then opened the regular season with a 2-4 homestand.
The best thing he can do for his competitive spirit is to be around the team and his teammates. Though he can’t compete on the field after the first of three surgical procedures — one that removed his colon — he is competing against the 162-game clock and what doctors will allow him to do later this season, to pitch again.