Rangers’ Jake Diekman eagerly awaited these two moments

It was a very good day for Jake Diekman.

The Rangers’ left-handed reliever learned he’ll start a rehab assignment Thursday with Double A Frisco. It has been a long process for Diekman, who had three surgeries to remove and reconstruct his colon since January. Diekman dealt with ulcerative colitis since his youth.

Also making it a special day for Diekman? He and fiancée, Amanda Soltero, announced the creation of their nonprofit “Gut It Out Foundation,” which has a mission to support organizations and efforts dedicated to improving the quality of life for those in the inflammatory bowel disease community, with a focus on education, research, pediatric care and support groups.

The inaugural fundraiser of $10,000 will benefit IBD research at Mayo Clinic, where Diekman had this three-part J-pouch surgery.

The last of the surgeries came on June 9. Diekman has eagerly anticipated rejoining his teammates during the entire process. That eagerness went into overdrive once he was clear of the final surgery in June. But he’s had to take it slow, first making sure his final surgery healed completely before working out at full strength. And then he had to take it slow while building up his arm strength. That includes three live batting practice sessions in the past couple of weeks.

“I’m just ready to face different hitters that aren’t on my own team,” said Diekman, who plans on picking up the tab for the team meal Thursday night in Frisco. “It’s totally worth it because I’m finally earning a paycheck.”

Diekman would like to focus on helping kids dealing with IBD, including helping them pay for camps such as Camp Oasis, which is south of Waco.

“We’re not taking a dollar. A thousand percent of it goes to whatever we choose,” said Diekman, who has been selling Gut It Out t-shirts since spring training to help spread awareness. He’ll launch a new t-shirt on Monday. He called his IBD ordeal an “emotional hell.”

“I’ve learned how powerful it is to bring people together, online and in person, to talk about the good and the bad of IBD,” Diekman said. “I will continue to do that through the Foundation and I know it can be a catalyst for solutions and improvements to the community.”

For more information on the foundation go to www.gutitoutfoundation.org or on Facebook at @gutitoutfoundation.

This story was originally published August 16, 2017 at 8:27 PM with the headline "Rangers’ Jake Diekman eagerly awaited these two moments."