ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are heading home. The team announced Wednesday it will return to an updated Tropicana Field for the 2026 season after playing its entire 2025 home schedule at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa while damage to the Trop caused by Hurricane Milton in October 2024 was repaired. “We […]
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Tampa Bay Rays to return to Tropicana Field in 2026 after hurricane repairs
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays are heading home.
The team announced Wednesday it will return to an updated Tropicana Field for the 2026 season after playing its entire 2025 home schedule at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa while damage to the Trop caused by Hurricane Milton in October 2024 was repaired.
“We are excited to return home to Tropicana Field in April and to once again join our fans and neighboring businesses in downtown St. Petersburg in celebrating the return of Rays baseball,” team CEO Ken Babby said in a statement.
Repairs to the stadium’s roof and other internal areas are ongoing, and the Rays are planning to play their home opener against the Chicago Cubs on April 6 after starting the season on the road.
The team announced several new ticket options that go on sale Thursday, as well as ballpark upgrades including an expanded main videoboard, new video displays behind home plate and along both foul poles, a new sound system and updated suite interiors.
The club is planning events to celebrate former Rays third baseman Evan Longoria to commemorate his time with the franchise, including induction into the team hall of fame.
The Rays finished with a 41-40 record at Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees, and sold out 61 of 81 games while drawing 786,750 fans. Playing home games in an open-air ballpark for the first time, the Rays experienced 17 rains delays over 16 games for a total of 17 hours, 47 minutes.
Tropicana Field’s roof was torn to shreds by Hurricane Milton. The stadium that opened in 1990 featured what the team called the world’s largest cable-supported domed roof, with the panels made of “translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass” supported by 180 miles of cables connected by struts.
The team has new owners, who are starting a search for a new ballpark that could open in 2029.
The Rays have struggled with poor attendance at the Trop, although they have at times been successful on the field with World Series appearances in 2008 and 2020.
Tampa Bay went 77-85 this year and missed the playoffs.
The team also announced infielder Bob Seymour has been released to pursue a playing opportunity in Asia, and left-hander Nate Lavender was returned to the New York Mets after clearing outright waivers.
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