ROUND ROCK (Talk1370.com) -- The Round Rock Express will once again be the Texas Rangers' Class AAA affiliate, beginning with the 2021 season.
The Rangers made the announcement Wednesday afternoon. The move follows the Houston Astros shifting their AAA affiliation to Sugar Land in November.
"We are honored that our organization, facility and community were recognized by Major League Baseball as one of the top 30 Triple-A markets," Express President Chris Almendarez said. "We are eager to receive and review the updated governing documents from MLB to bring this opportunity one step closer to reality."
The Express was previously aligned with the Rangers from 2011-2018, before moving to Nashville two seasons ago.
In addition to Round Rock, the Frisco RoughRiders will be the Rangers' Class AA team, while the Hickory Crawdads will serve as the Class High-A team and the Down East Wood Ducks will be the Class Low-A club.
"The Texas Rangers are pleased to invite these four outstanding franchises to be a part of our minor league system going forward," Rangers Managing Partner Ray Davis said in a statement. "We look forward to the opportunity of returning to Central Texas, where we previously had a great eight-year partnership with the Round Rock Express."
Major League Baseball is expected to announce the complete league structures for the new player development system in the first part of 2021.