Tampa Bay Rays will play at Yankees spring training site after damage to Trop

Описание: More than a month after Hurricane Milton shredded the roof of Tropicana Field, leaving the Tampa Bay Rays without an operational stadium for the 2025 season, the MLB team has officially found a temporary home.

And, the new location is in the Tampa Bay area — George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the spring training home of the New York Yankees.

"Steinbrenner Field was selected as the Rays temporary regular-season home because it is the best-prepared facility in the Tampa Bay region to host regular-season Major League Baseball games," a release from the Rays said in part.

The news comes a day after St. Pete City Council released a commissioned report that said Tropicana Field is still a "viable" option for the Rays to play, just not in 2025. Not only that, but to make it ready for the following season, the estimated price tag attached to the project tops $55.7 million.

Steinbrenner Field was one of several options that have been floated as temporary homes for the Rays that keep them in the Tampa Bay area, including spring training sites used by the Philadelphia Phillies (Clearwater), Toronto Blue Jays (Dunedin), Pittsburgh Pirates (Bradenton) and Detroit Tigers (Lakeland).

According to the Rays, Steinbrenner Field is finishing up renovations to improve the stadium, including the clubhouse and playing facilities. Another reason to choose Steinbrenner over other local options — the capacity.

Steinbrenner Field is reportedly the largest spring training stadium in the Tampa Bay region, able to hold about 11,000 fans.

“We deeply appreciate that the Yankees have graciously allowed us to play at Steinbrenner Field for the 2025 season,’’ Rays Principal Owner Stuart Sternberg said in a statement. “The hurricane damage to Tropicana Field has forced us to take some extraordinary steps, just as Hurricanes Helene and Milton have forced thousands of families and businesses in our community to adapt to new circumstances as we all recover and rebuild.’’

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