SAN DIEGO -- Outfielder Nomar Mazara was once considered one of the centerpieces of the Rangers' lineup and a huge part of their future.

That is no longer the case. The Rangers brought Mazara's time in Texas to an end Tuesday night when they traded him to the White Sox for center-field prospect Steele Walker.

"We wish Nomar the best with the White Sox," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said after the trade was announced. "It is a little bittersweet having known him as long as we have."

The move opens up the Rangers' outfield for Joey Gallo to play in right and Willie Calhoun in left. Mazara's apex with the Rangers came in his second season (2017) when he finished with 100 RBIs. But he didn't build off that and instead hit just .268 with 19 home runs, 66 RBIs and a .469 slugging percentage in 2019, becoming expendable when Calhoun really came on this past season.

Calhoun is the Rangers' starting left fielder at this point, but they could also look for a right-handed bat for that position. One possibility is free-agent outfielder Nicholas Castellanos. He hit .289 with 27 home runs, 73 RBIs and a .525 slugging percentage with the Tigers and Cubs this past season.

Walker was taken by the White Sox in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of the University of Oklahoma. He played in 120 games at Class A this year and hit .284 with a .361 on-base percentage and a .451 slugging percentage. Over 457 at-bats, he had 36 doubles, five triples and 10 home runs with 13 stolen bases.

He is a left-handed hitter and was the No. 6 White Sox prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He played high school baseball at Prosper, north of Dallas, and could end up playing at Double-A Frisco near his hometown.

"We're excited to welcome Steele Walker to the organization," Daniels said. "He is a really good hitter, with both power and an advanced approach, and has an aggressive, winning on-field makeup."