Tropicana Field likely won't be ready to host the Rays until 2026
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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 within their home city. 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 was touted as the best-prepared stadium in the Tampa Bay region.
While the structural integrity of Tropicana Field remains strong, the domed stadium's roof will have to be replaced, according to a recently released assessment report.
George M. Steinbrenner Field prior to the start of a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees during spring training in Tampa, Fla., March 29, 2022. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA Today Sports)
"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."
Repairs to Tropicana Field will cost an estimated $55.7 million and could be completed prior to the start of the Rays' 2026 regular season, according to the assessment report.
The roof of Tropicana Field is damaged the morning after Hurricane Milton hit the region Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
"We are happy to extend our hand to the Rays and their fans by providing a major league quality facility for them to utilize this season," a statement from Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said. "We understand how meaningful it is for Rays players, employees and fans to have their 2025 home games take place within 30 minutes of Tropicana Field."
The Yankees' minor league affiliate, the Tampa Tarpons, use the ballpark throughout the summer. It is unclear how the team will be affected by the arrival of the Rays. Steinbrenner Field is an outdoor field and can hold up to 11,000 fans.
A Tampa Bay Rays hat and glove during the seventh inning of a game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., April 3, 2023. (Scott Taetsch/USA Today Sports)
The Rays will not be the only MLB franchise utilizing a minor league stadium next season. The Athletics played their final game at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum in late September and are slated to compete at a ballpark in Sacramento until their new stadium is built in Nevada.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league preferred that the Rays find a way to keep home games in their region in 2025.
"Given the significant challenges caused by Hurricane Milton, I appreciate the hard work and collaboration between the two teams," Manfred said in a release. "This outcome meets Major League Baseball’s goals that Rays fans will see their team play next season in their home market and that their players can remain home without disruption to their families."
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Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
