The Rays will finally play in Tampa A press release from the team says the Rays will play its 2025 home games at Tampa’s dome-free George M. Steinbrenner Field. The venue, located at 1 Steinbrenner Dr. across from Raymond James Stadium, is the Spring Training home of the New York Yankees, and home turf for New York’s Single-A affiliate, Tampa Tarpons (who are expected to play at nearby fields according to WFTS). In a statement, Rays Principal Owner Stuart Sternberg thanked the Yankees for the loaner. “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—a multi-millionaire with a team worth more than a billion dollars—wrote. Read the full story here Credit: Photo via Chad Robertson Media / Shutterstock.com

While the City of St. Petersburg has plans to pay $55 million to fix Tropicana Field in time for the 2026 season, the Tampa Bay Rays now have plans to give baseball-loving Tampeños what they’ve been crying about for what feels like forever.

A press release from the team says the Rays will play its 2025 home games at Tampa’s dome-free George M. Steinbrenner Field. The venue, located at 1 Steinbrenner Dr. across from Raymond James Stadium, is the Spring Training home of the New York Yankees, and home turf for New York’s Single-A affiliate, Tampa Tarpons (who are expected to play at nearby fields according to WFTS).

In a statement, Rays Principal Owner Stuart Sternberg thanked the Yankees for the loaner.

“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—a multi-millionaire with a team worth more than a billion dollars—wrote.

The capacity at Tampa’s Steinbrenner field is approximately 11,000, according to the release. The team averaged 16,515 fans per game in 2024, according to ESPN.

The Rays are set to open the 2025 campaign on March 27 against the Colorado Rockies, and there’s a form for anyone interested in tickets.

“Existing season members will be contacted regarding their 2025 season membership options and do not need to complete the form,” according to the team. A rep for the team would not tell Creative Loafing Tampa Bay how many season ticket holders it has.

In case you just moved here or hate sports, Tropicana Field, which has been home for the Rays since 1998, saw its roof ripped open last month during Hurricane Milton. Parts of the Teflon dome quickly ended up for sale online.

Photos: Tampa Bay Rays share photos of damage to Tropicana Field

Before the storms, the City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County controversially committed about $600 million to helping the Rays build a new stadium. Everything got complicated after Milton, and the release of a damage assessment that said it would cost $55.7 million to repair the roof (The Athletic said the roof could’ve been shored up for the storm if the team had replaced it in years prior).

The Rays said Steinbrenner Field is the “best-prepared facility in the Tampa Bay region to host regular-season Major League Baseball games.” The club also touted recent upgrades to lighting, the locker room, and training facilities, but did not mention how it would reschedule or postpone games if it rained.

“Additional improvements are expected to be made before the regular season to ensure fans continue to have a wonderful experience at Rays games,” the team added.

UPDATED 11/14/24 3 p.m. Updated with info on where the Tampa Tarpons are expected to play their games, and a non-comment from Rays representatives.

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