SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Kyle Gibson tied a career high with 13 wins for Minnesota last season. That’s impressive, considering he was miserable for most of the year.

“From the middle of June on, I shouldn’t have been pitching,” Gibson said.

Ulcerative colitis can make anybody feel miserable, but Gibson fought it through 29 starts, five relief appearances and one inning of work in the American League Division Series against the Yankees.

“Pitching … that was the least stressful time of the day,” Gibson said. “The adrenaline from pitching made the pain that comes with UC go away. If anything, I wanted to pitch because that was the best three hours of the day.”

Gibson’s road to recovery brought him to the Rangers and he is at full strength again. Concerns that he wouldn’t be ready for the start of the season are beginning to fade and he is expected to be in a set rotation that also includes Mike Minor, Corey Kluber, Lance Lynn and Jordan Lyles.

“That was more in December and January when I probably thought I would need more time,” Gibson said. “Everybody, since I showed up here, has been pleasantly surprised how the medicine has been working and how I have been feeling. I have been able to work out consistently for a while now. I am probably a month ahead of last year when I first got E. coli. I’m not too worried about being ready.”

The Rangers felt confident enough in Gibson’s recovery to sign him to a three-year, $28 million contract over the winter. The biggest concern was getting his strength back after losing around 25 pounds during last season’s ordeal.

“Everything looks good,” manager Chris Woodward said. “He says he feels good, the ball is coming out of his hand good. Obviously, we are keeping a close eye on him, but right now everything seems normal. It’s a good sign for us. He went through a lot last year and kept on pitching.”

The Rangers have prior experience in this area through former reliever Jake Diekman, who made a strong comeback after missing most of the 2017 season because of ulcerative colitis. Gibson found team nutritionist Stephanie Fernandes especially knowledgeable about the condition through her work and research into ulcerative colitis.

“One of the biggest drivers when it came to signing with the Rangers is they obviously knew that I had it,” Gibson said. “I told my wife the night we made the decision, if I don’t feel good and if I don’t feel healthy, wherever we sign, I’m going to be miserable.

"Not only is Texas a good baseball spot, but it’s the best place for me as far as health-wise. We were really comfortable with Stephanie. It was a big driver in being healthy and where I was going.”

Gibson was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis after contracting E. coli during a mission trip he and his wife Elizabeth took to Haiti and the Dominican Republic in January 2019. The problem was trying the right combination of medicines to treat the disease.

“It has taken a while obviously,” Gibson said. “You try three or four medicines to find one that works. I think this is my fourth, but I think this is one that works. It’s kind of unbelievable to look back at what I went through.

"It’s such a distraction. The hardest part was being a dad and a husband because you just don’t feel you can be there for your kids and your wife. And for much of the year I wasn’t. I was having to be elsewhere, trying to get rest and having to do other things.”