Texas Rangers announce Round Rock Express as new Triple-A affiliate

After the Houston Astros ended their partnership with the Round Rock Express, the team has become the new Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, according to a Dec. 9 statement by Round Rock Express President Chris Almendarez.

The Express previously spent eight seasons, from 2011-18, as the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate, Almendarez said.

#RRExpress Statement on Affiliation. https://t.co/N2PiF04j61 pic.twitter.com/W3icnaDbD7

— Round Rock Express (@RRExpress) December 9, 2020

Per the statement, the Round Rock Express have been recognized by Major League Baseball “as one of the top 30 Triple-A markets.”

The Express will be one of four minor league affiliates for the Texas Rangers during the 2021 season.

The Texas Rangers’ new affiliate teams include:

• The Round Rock Express as the Triple-A affiliate;
• The Frisco RoughRiders as the Double-A affiliate;
• The Hickory Crawdads as the High-A affiliate; and
• The Down East Wood Ducks as the Low-A affiliate.

We have invited four minor league teams to become our affiliates for the 2021 season. pic.twitter.com/gqv75HS8Mh

— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) December 9, 2020

The next step for the Round Rock Express will be to review updated governing documents from the MLB.

The Astros announced the Sugar Land Skeeters as their new Triple-A franchise Nov. 20.