Rays to play home games at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa in 2025 after hurricane damage to Trop
The Tampa Bay Rays will actually play their home games in Tampa for the first time in their history. The team’s home game will take place at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring training site of the New York Yankees.
Tropicana Field, the home of the Rays, was “significantly damaged” during Hurricane Milton on Oct. 10, with its roof torn off. The Rays chose Steinbrenner Field because it was the “best-prepared facility in the Tampa Bay area,” according to a news release.
“We deeply appreciate that the Yankees have graciously allowed us to play at Steinbrenner Field for the 2025 season,” Rays owner Stu Sternberg said in the statement. “The hurricane damage to Tropicana Field has forced us to take some extraordinary steps.”
“We are pleased to extend our hand to the Rays and their fans by providing them with a quality Major League facility to utilize this season,” Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement. “… We understand how meaningful it is to Rays players, employees and fans to have their 2025 home games within 30 minutes of Tropicana Field.”
It has not yet been determined how the change will affect the Tampa Tarpons, the Yankees’ Single-A affiliate and regular-season resident of Steinbrenner Field.
The Rays also spoke extensively with the Philadelphia Phillies about using the Phillies’ spring training complex in nearby Clearwater, which offered advantages because it is also in Pinellas County. However, the Rays chose Tampa for several reasons. One is that Steinbrenner Field can accommodate more than 2,000 additional fans, which could translate into significantly more revenue over 81 games.
Another is that the club felt that the Yankees facility has facilities – especially in and around the clubhouse – that are better suited to housing a Major League team for six months, rather than six weeks.
A third is that the Rays ultimately preferred the central location of a stadium in Tampa, as opposed to Clearwater, which is a longer drive for much of their fan base.
The aftermath of Hurricane Milton at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
A damage report released earlier this week estimated that Tropicana Field would not be completed before 2026 and would cost approximately $55.7 million in repairs. It is possible that much of the damage could have been prevented if the team had replaced the roof in previous years.
With the team hoping to move to a new location in St. Petersburg in 2028, it is unclear what the long-term plan for the Rays will be beyond 2025. Steinbrenner Field has a capacity of 11,000 people and is notably roofless considering the rainy conditions. weather typical of the region during the summer. However, it has recently undergone renovations to expand the clubhouse space, improve lighting and extensively upgrade the facilities.
The Rays will be the second MLB team to play in a minor league stadium in 2025, with the Athletics planning to spend the next three seasons at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California, prior to their move to Las Vegas in 2028.
The Rays and the league prioritized playing the team’s home games in the region, rather than moving to a larger or domed facility. This also isn’t the first time regular-season games have been played at a spring training site in the Tampa area. The Toronto Blue Jays opened the 2021 season with home games at their spring training site in Dunedin.
“Given the significant challenges posed by Hurricane Milton, I appreciate the hard work and collaboration between the two teams,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in the news release. “This outcome meets Major League Baseball’s goals that Rays fans will see their team play in their home market next season and that their players will be able to stay home without disruption to their families.”
Additional reporting by Chris Kirschner.
(Top photo of Steinbrenner Field in 2017: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
