Rays to Temporarily Relocate to Steinbrenner Field for 2025 Season
The Tampa Bay Rays have announced that they will play their 2025 season at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa due to extensive damage to Tropicana Field from Hurricane Milton. The roof of Tropicana Field sustained significant harm during the storm and is not expected to be repaired until the start of the 2026 season.
Rays owner Stuart Sternberg expressed that playing in Steinbrenner Field offers the best chance for fans to experience all 81 home games of Major League Baseball. “It is singularly the best opportunity for our fans to experience 81 games of major-league Rays baseball,” Sternberg said, according to The Associated Press.
While the move to a smaller venue presents challenges, Sternberg emphasized the benefits: “As difficult as it is to get any of these stadiums up to major league standards, it was the least difficult. You're going to see Major League Baseball in a small environment.”
Steinbrenner Field, with a seating capacity of 11,026, is the spring training home of the New York Yankees. The facility also boasts major-league standard equipment and amenities. Yankees chairman Hal Steinbrenner commented, “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,” according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. Steinbrenner also noted, “In times like these, rivalry and competition take a back seat to doing what's right for our community."
In exchange for allowing the Rays to use their facility, the Yankees are expected to generate approximately $15 million in revenue, a source informed The Associated Press.
The Rays considered multiple venues, including BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, the spring training home of the Philadelphia Phillies, as well as other domestic and international locations before finalizing their decision to move to Steinbrenner Field.
The impact on the Tampa Tarpons, the Yankees' Single-A affiliate that also plays at Steinbrenner Field, remains unclear.
