Jake Diekman on Wednesday took the first step in the long road back to pitching for the Rangers, undergoing a successful four-hour procedure to remove his colon, which has been wrecked by ulcerative colitis.
Diekman, who turned 30 last week, will miss at least the first half of the season while recovering from a series of procedures known as a "J-Pouch" to account for the loss of the colon. While it is not an uncommon procedure for patients who deal with ulcerative colitis or other serious gastrointestinal issues, few professional athletes have deal with anything similar. The most notable case was former San Diego chargers kicker Rolf Benirschke in 1979.