11/24/2009 10:10 AM - The Texas Rangers announced that the club has signed former Bellingham Bells catcher Kevin Richardson to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training.

Richardson, 29, was outrighted off the 40-man roster on October 21 after clearing outright waivers. He made his major league debut this season, going 3-for-6 in 4 games with one start. He spent the bulk of the year with Oklahoma City, batting .216 (55-255) with 13 home runs and 36 RBI in 74 games. A non-roster invitee to big league spring training in 2009, Richardson did not appear in any games this spring due to a knee injury.

He was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent on July 23, 2002 and has played at every level of the Rangers organization. He went 2-for-4 in his big league debut on Aug. 17 vs. Minnesota, becoming just the second catcher in club history to have multiple hits in his first big league game.

The Rangers have 38 players on the club's 40-man roster, and Richardson is the first non-roster invitee to next year's spring training.

Read the full Texas Rangers press release at www.texasrangers.com

Watch highlights from Richardson's MLB debut