Bibens-Dirkx confident he has proven himself worthy for return

As the season draws to a close, right-hander Austin Bibens-Dirkx said he believes he has proved to be more than a feel-good story, but also a big-league pitcher who hopes to be back next year.

Bibens-Dirkx, a journeyman minor-leaguer who finally made it to the big leagues at 32 years old, said he has answered the questions about whether he can or can’t.

“I showed that I’m ‘pitchable,’ ” Bibens-Dirkx said. “That’s been one of the questions and one of the reasons I haven’t been up: Can he get outs in the big leagues? Hopefully that has been proven ‘yes.’ ”

Bibens-Dirkx recently had his first “win ball” returned, decorated to commemorate the occasion. His first victory as a starter was June 11 at…