The Rays are reaching an interim home ballpark deal next season as the St. Petersburg is weighing the renovation of Tropicana Field
The Tampa Bay Rays had to find a new place to call home for the 2025 season after Tropicana Field was damaged by Hurricane Milton.
This week, the Rays revealed plans to play in their hometown. Rays games will be played next season at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees.
According to a news release, Steinbrenner Field has been hailed as the most well-maintained field in the Tampa Bay region.
Although the structural integrity of Tropicana Field remains intact, the roof of the concourse will have to be replaced, according to a newly released inspection report.
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George M. Steinbrenner Field before the start of the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees during spring training in Tampa, Fla., March 29, 2022. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA Today Sports)
“We are very grateful that the Yankees have allowed us to play at Steinbrenner Field for the 2025 season,” Rays owner Stu Sternberg said in a statement. “Storm damage at Tropicana Field has forced us to take extraordinary measures.”
TROPICANA FIELD ROOF RENOVATION POSSIBLE BY RAYS’ 2026 SEASON; MLB TEAM WILL NEED A TEMPORARY HOME BY 2025
Tropicana Field renovations will cost an estimated $55.7 million and could be completed before the start of the Rays’ 2026 regular season, according to a scouting report.
The roof of Tropicana Field was damaged the morning after Hurricane Milton hit the region on Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
“We are pleased to extend our hand to the Rays and their fans by providing them with a league-class facility to use this season,” said a statement from Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner. “We understand how important it is to Rays players, staff and fans that their 2025 home games take place within 30 minutes of Tropicana Field.”
The Yankees’ minor league affiliate, the Tampa Tarpons, operates the ballpark throughout the summer. It is not yet clear how this team will be affected by the arrival of Misebe. Steinbrenner Field is an outdoor stadium and can hold up to 11,000 fans.
A Tampa Bay Rays hitter and glove during the seventh inning of a game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington, DC, April 3, 2023. (Scott Taetsch/USA Today Sports)
The Rays won’t be the only MLB franchise using a minor league stadium next season. The Athletics played their last game at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum in late September and are slated to compete at the ballpark in Sacramento until their new stadium is built in Nevada.
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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league prefers that the Rays find a way to keep home games in their region through 2025.
“Due to the significant challenges caused by Hurricane Milton, I appreciate the hard work and cooperation between both parties,” Manfred said in a statement. “This result meets the goals of Major League Baseball that Rays fans will see their team play next season in their home market and that their players stay at home without interruption to their families.”
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