Diekman remains the likeliest choice for primary closer in 2021, but manager Bob Melvin has noted he may sometimes utilize the left-hander prior to the ninth inning, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The departed Liam Hendriks was the unquestioned closer in 2020, but Diekman certainly put on a pretty convincing impression by allowing just one earned run across 21 innings while posting a 0.94 WHIP, 36.8 percent strikeout rate and 96.8 percent strand rate as a seventh- and eighth-inning option. Melvin's recent comments about not always limiting his use of the veteran southpaw to the ninth inning lends some ambiguity to the situation as spring training begins, however, and with other experienced candidates such as Sergio Romo, J.B. Wendelken and Burch Smith (forearm) also available, Diekman may be in line to eventually share some save opportunities.