Rangers get Venable in trade with Padres

The playoff-aspiring Texas Rangers bolstered their outfield Tuesday, acquiring outfielder Will Venable from the San Diego Padres in exchange for catcher Marcus Greene Jr. and a player to be named later.

"Will is a good baseball player ... tremendous reputation on and off the field," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. "He is a left-handed hitter who can run, has power, play all three outfield positions. He also gives us some depth in case of injury, gives us some protection in all three spots. He is a professional, intelligent hitter."

The player to be named later is the primary piece of the deal for the Padres, MLB.com's Corey Brock reports.

"The guys that we're looking at are close to the big leagues," Padres general manager A.J. Preller said.

The Rangers designated Triple-A outfielder Michael Choice for assignment to make room for Venable on the 40-man roster, while the Padres plan to select the contract of outfielder Travis Jankowski to replace Venable.

Venable is hitting .258/.318/.696 with six home runs and 30 RBIs in 308 plate appearances.

The 32-year-old will move into a Rangers outfield mix that currently includes Shin-Soo Choo, Delino DeShields, Ryan Strausborger, and Josh Hamilton, who is expected to return from a knee injury Thursday.

Greene Jr. - who turns 21 on Wednesday - was drafted by the Rangers in the 16th round of the 2013 draft.

The backstop is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. Prior to the injury, he was hitting .218/.365/.500 with five home runs and nine RBIs for Single-A Hickory.