Rays to play 2025 season at Steinbrenner Field

The Tampa Bay Rays will play their 2025 season at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the team announced Thursday.

The Rays were in search of a temporary home after the roof of Tropicana Field was heavily damaged by Hurricane Milton. The stadium won't be fixed until the start of the 2026 season.

"It is singularly the best opportunity for our fans to experience 81 games of major-league Rays baseball," Rays owner Stuart Sternberg said, according to The Associated Press.

"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 has an 11,026-seat capacity and is the spring training home of the New York Yankees. The facility is also equipped with major-league-standard equipment and facilities.

"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," Yankees chairman Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.

"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."

The Yankees will receive roughly $15 million in revenue for allowing the Rays to use their facility, a source told the AP.

The Rays chose Steinbrenner Field over BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, which is the spring training home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Other facilities across the country and internationally were also considered.

The impact the change has on the Tampa Tarpons, the Yankees' Single-A affiliate who play at Steinbrenner Field, is unclear.