Major League Baseball and the Tampa Bay Rays are still assessing the damage to Tropicana Field following Hurricane Milton, but it seems unlikely at this point that the ballpark will be ready in time for Opening Day after its fiberglass dome was shredded. If that becomes the case, the league hopes to find a suitable replacement venue in the area.
“We’re hopeful that we can figure out something in (the Tampa area) for them and that the repairs can be done in a way that allows them to resume playing,” commissioner Rob Manfred said on a recent episode of The Varsity podcast. “The easiest thing is always to stay in the market where the clubs are anchored, if we can manage it.”
There are several spring training facilities in the vicinity, including those used by the Philadelphia Phillies (BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater), Toronto Blue Jays (TD Ballpark in Dunedin), New York Yankees (George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa), and Pittsburgh Pirates (LECOM Park in Bradenton). The Rays hold spring training about 80 miles south of Tropicana Field at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte.
Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex near Orlando has hosted MLB regular season games in the past and could be another possibility. Almost all spring training stadiums are home to minor-league teams during the summer. Moving the Rays to one, even temporarily, would require reworking the minor-league schedule, and may necessitate facility upgrades to meet MLB standards.
The city of St. Petersburg has hired firms to assess the damage to the building structure and also begin cleanup of the roofing materials, according to the Associated Press. It is considered unlikely Tropicana Field will be ready to host games on Opening Day, though nothing is set in stone yet.
The backdrop to all of this, of course, is that the Rays plan to move into their new ballpark in time for the 2028 season. For now, though, the more immediate concern is where they’ll play for some or perhaps even all of the upcoming season.
The Rays are set to open the 2025 regular season with a six-game homestand against the Colorado Rockies and Pirates. Opening Day is scheduled for Thursday, March 27.
