Arlington, TX—The Texas Rangers announced today that the club has acquired right-handed pitcher Stephen Villines to complete the trade that sent right-handed pitcher Ariel Jurado on August 5. Texas also received cash considerations in the trade.                   

Villines. 25, has a career minor league record of 10-7 with a 2.67 ERA, 18 saves, and 191 strikeouts in 155.0 IP in 107 relief appearances with the Mets organization from 2017-19. He was not a member of New York’s 60-man player pool this summer.

He combined to go 2-1, 3.25 with 7 saves in 41 games for Binghamton (AA) and Syracuse (AAA) in 2019, when he was a non-roster invitee in the Mets’ Major League spring training camp. In 2018 .Villines led all NYM minor league relievers with 96 strikeouts in 66.2 innings at three levels.

He was a 10th round selection by New York out of the University of Kansas in the 2017 MLB Draft.