Tampa Bay Rays to play at new location in 2025 after Hurricane Milton damaged Tropicana Field
The Tampa Bay Rays will play at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa after Hurricane Milton destroyed part of the roof of Tropicana Field.
Tropicana Field roof shredded by Milton's winds
The roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team, was shredded after Hurricane Milton tore through St. Petersburg, Florida.
TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rays will have a new home for the 2025 Major League Baseball season after Hurricane Milton damaged their home field.
In a news release Thursday, the Rays announced they would be playing their regular season games at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
When Hurricane Milton tore through Florida on Oct. 9, the storm's winds destroyed a large portion of Tropicana Field's fiberglass roof. Most of the damage is believed to be non-structural, but everything from the field to video equipment was exposed to heavy rainfall and gusty winds.
The cost to repair the damage could reach $55 million, according to a report obtained by FOX 13 Tampa Bay.
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The New York Yankees use Steinbrenner Field during Spring Training. The team will continue to use the stadium for Spring Training in 2025, while the Tampa Bay Rays will continue to use Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Florida, where they usually do Spring Training.
"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.
TAMPA, FLORIDA - MARCH 19: A general view of George M. Steinbrenner Field during a Spring Training game between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies on March 19, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. ( Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)
"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," Sternberg said.
Steinbrenner Field was chosen to host the Rays this season because it's the best-prepared facility in the Tampa area to hold regular-season MLB games, the Rays said. The field has gone under some upgrades already, but more are underway as the Rays prepare for the 2025 season.
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"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," said Yankees Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner. "Both the Yankees organization and my family have deep roots in the Tampa Bay region, and 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. In times like these, rivalry and competition take a back seat to doing what’s right for our community – which is continuing to help families and businesses rebound from the devastation caused by hurricanes Helene and Milton."
Tropicana Field opened in 1990 and has housed the Tampa Bay Rays since 1998. The team had planned to use the stadium only through 2027 until a replacement ballpark could be built.
It hasn't been announced what will happen to the stadium now that it's been damaged just a few years before the scheduled demolition.