Diekman has not allowed an earned run in three of four spring outings, Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
Diekman made quite a splash at the tail end of 2017 when he held opponents scoreless in 10 of his 11 outings, mostly in a setup role. If the left-hander continues to throw zeros, manager Jeff Banister could slot him in at closer. That would allow him to deploy Alex Claudio, the incumbent closer, in a multiple-inning bridge role, one in which Banister thinks he could be more valuable to the team. "There are opportunities for [Claudio] to come in any inning and help preserve a win for us," Banister said. The battle appears to come down to Claudio or Diekman, with Keone Kela (shoulder) also in the mix.