After Tropicana Field was damaged by Hurricane Milton, the Tampa Bay Rays needed to find a new home for the 2025 season.
This week, the Rays announced plans to play on their home turf. Rays games will be held next season at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees.
Steinbrenner Field is touted as the best-maintained stadium in the Tampa Bay area, according to a news release.
Tropicana Field's structural integrity remains strong, but the domed stadium's roof will need to be replaced, according to a recently released assessment report.
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George M. Steinbrenner Field before the start of the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees during spring training on March 29, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA Today Sports)
“We are deeply grateful to the Yankees for allowing us to play at Steinbrenner Field during the 2025 season,” Rays owner Stu Sternberg said in a statement. “Due to the damage caused to Tropicana Field by the hurricane, “We have been forced to take extraordinary measures.”
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Tropicana Field renovations are estimated to cost $55.7 million and could be completed before the start of the Rays' 2026 regular season, according to the evaluation report.
The roof of Tropicana Field is damaged the morning after Hurricane Milton struck the area, October 10, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
“We are pleased to reach out to the Rays and their fans by providing a major league-quality facility for them to utilize this season,” Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement. “We know how much it means to Rays players, employees and fans that their 2025 home games will be held less than 30 minutes from Tropicana Field.”
The Yankees' minor league affiliate, the Tampa Tarpons, uses this stadium during the summer. It is unclear how the Rays' addition will affect the team. Steinbrenner Field is an outdoor field that can accommodate up to 11,000 fans.
Tampa Bay Rays hat and glove during the bottom of the seventh inning of a game against the Washington Nationals on April 3, 2023 at Nationals Park in Washington, DC. (Scott Tetch/USA Today Sports)
The Rays won't be the only MLB team using a minor league ballpark next season. The Athletics will play their final game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in late September and will play at a stadium in Sacramento until a new stadium is built in Nevada.
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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league would like to see the Rays find a way to keep home games locally in 2025.
“We would like to thank both teams for their hard work and cooperation given the significant challenges caused by Hurricane Milton,” Manfred said in the release. “This result fulfills Major League Baseball's goal of allowing Rays fans to watch their team play next season at home and allowing players to stay home without disrupting their families.”
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