Hurricane Milton devastated the greater Tampa area. Thousands of people were unfortunately displaced, and the natural disaster damaged heavy swaths of the city and its infrastructure.
Unfortunately, getting Tropicana Field was nearly right in the eye of the storm. The stadium’s roof was torn off the top of it. Debris was scattered all over the infield, outfield, and seats. With the baseball season approaching in late March, there’s realistically not enough time to get the field back in playable shape.
As such, it was announced that the Rays will play their upcoming season at the New York Yankees Single-A affiliate in another section of Tampa which was not hit as hard by the hurricane. Called Steinbrenner Field, the facility holds roughly 11,000 fans. While it won’t resemble a Major League ballpark by any stretch, the move does enable the Rays to stay at home with some semblance of a home-field advantage.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred released the following statement:
“Given the significant challenges caused by Hurricane Milton, I appreciate the hard work and collaboration between the two teams that allowed the Rays to make the best decision for next season. 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.”
According to one estimate, the cost to repair the roof alone would be nearly $56 million. The hope is for the stadium to be fully restored by the beginning of the 2026 regular season.
