Round Rock Express RHP Nick Snyder Promoted to Texas Rangers

ROUND ROCK, Texas – Welcome to The Show, Nick! The Texas Rangers have selected the contract of Round Rock Express RHP Nick Snyder, the club announced on Friday afternoon. Snyder is seeking his Major League debut with the Rangers in his first career promotion to the bigs. Texas has also recalled Round Rock INF Nick Solak amid a busy day of transactions. Both are expected to be in uniform on Friday night as the Rangers open a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox at 6:10 p.m. at Fenway Park.

Snyder appeared in just five games with the Express during his first career stint at the Triple-A level prior to today’s promotion. The flame-thrower went 1-0 with a 6.23 ERA (3 ER/4.1 IP) across his five games in an E-Train uniform, striking out five and walking one. Opponents hit just .188 against the righty during his brief time with Round Rock.

He made his Triple-A debut at Dell Diamond on August 5 against Sugar Land, tossing a shutout ninth inning of relief that included a pair of strikeouts. His first career Triple-A victory came just five days later following another 1-2-3 outing that included two punchouts as the Express rallied for an 8-7 win over the Skeeters.

The Palm City, Florida native was promoted to Round Rock on August 2 after appearing in 13 games, all in relief, for the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders, where he went 0-1 with a microscopic 1.65 ERA (3 ER/16.1 IP). Snyder racked up an impressive 25 strikeouts to just one walk across his 16.1 total innings. He also posted a .200 opponent batting average and 0.80 WHIP in his time with Frisco.

He began the 2021 season with the High-A Hickory Crawdads, posting no record with a 2.19 ERA (3 ER/12.1 IP) in 10 games, recording three saves along the way. He struck out 17 and walked only three before a June 16 call-up to Frisco. Prior to missing the entire 2020 campaign following Tommy John surgery, Snyder ranked second on Hickory’s staff in games (33) and saves (6) in 2019. He posted a 5-3 record with a 3.06 ERA (18 ER/53.0 IP) while striking out 60 and walking 18 during his time with the Crawdads.

Snyder has rocketed through the Texas Rangers organization after being selected in the 19th round of the 2017 June Draft out of Indian River State College in Florida. In 78 total games, all in relief, the 25-year-old is 7-4 with a 3.09 ERA (36 ER/105.0 IP), 125 strikeouts and 29 walks.

Solak is returning to Texas after a successful stint in Round Rock. The infielder hit .353 (30-85) with six doubles, a home run and six RBI in 22 games with the Express after being optioned from the Rangers on July 23. He recorded at least one base hit in 19 of his 22 games with the E-Train, including seven multi-hit performances. Solak hit a perfect 4-4 on August 14 at Oklahoma City, driving in a run and scoring twice in a 7-3 Round Rock win. He heads to Texas on the heels of a 3-4 performance on Thursday night at Dell Diamond against El Paso.

The Woodridge, Illinois native looks to carry his hot bat back to the bigs after opening the season with the Rangers. He hit .225 (75-334) in 92 games with Texas prior to his option to Round Rock, collecting 12 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 34 RBI in what is his third straight season appearing in a Rangers uniform. Across his major league career, Solak is a .250 hitter (165-659) with 28 doubles, three triples, 16 home runs and 74 RBI in 183 games, all with Texas.

He made his major league debut on August 20, 2019, shortly after being acquired by Texas from the Tampa Bay Rays in a trade for RHP Pete Fairbanks. Solak then led all major league rookies with 56 hits in 2020, becoming the first player in Rangers franchise history to complete a season as MLB’s rookie hit leader.

Solak was originally selected by the New York Yankees in the second round of the 2016 June draft out of the University of Louisville and was traded to Tampa Bay in a three-team deal that also involved the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018. Across parts of five seasons at the minor league level, Solak hit .297 (501-1,687) with 81 doubles, 10 triples, 62 home runs and 234 RBI in 457 total games in the Yankees, Rays and Rangers organizations.

Meanwhile, the Round Rock Express continue a six-game series against the El Paso Chihuahuas (San Diego Padres affiliate) on Friday night at Dell Diamond. Express RHP A.J. Alexy (0-0, 2.79) is scheduled to face Chihuahuas RHP Jesse Scholtens (3-7, 5.34) in tonight’s game two. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

Single game tickets are on sale now. For more information about the Express, visit RRExpress.com or call (512) 255-2255. Subscribe to the E-Train email newsletter and keep up with the Express on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!