Rangers manager Jeff Banister said that Diekman (abdomen) is expected to be activated from the 60-day disabled list Friday, Connor Mount of MLB.com reports.
Diekman passed the final hurdle in his recovery from three surgeries within the past year to repair and rebuild his colon by making appearances in back-to-back games Monday and Tuesday for Double-A Frisco, marking the fifth and six appearances in total of his rehab assignment. The lefty has looked utterly dominant in those outings, giving up just one run over 6.1 innings while striking out eight batters and walking none. Given the dearth of quality relief options for the Rangers, Diekman will have a decent chance at settling into a key setup role right away upon returning from the DL. He accrued a 3.40 ERA and 59:26 K:BB across 53 innings with the Rangers in 2016.