Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the Tampa Bay Rays will use George M. Steinbrenner Field as their home field, the Yankees’ Spring Training home and also the home of their Single-A affiliate. How this affects their Minor League club remains to be seen, but the Yankees will play crucial AL East rivalry games at their own Spring Training facility after Hurricane Milton did serious damage to Tropicana Field’s roof. The timing of it wouldn’t allow the Rays to fix it in time for the 2025 season, and so they needed to relocate temporarily.
George M. Steinbrenner Field is a well-rated ballpark with Major League facilities which likely made it the Rays’ top choice over their own Spring Training field, and it should be a suitable home for the near future.
Rays Will Play Home Games at Yankees’ Spring Training Field
Hurricane Milton left a wave of devastation, and the Rays felt the effects of its power as its winds ripped through the roofing at Tropicana Field. Repairs for it would not be completed in time for the 2025 season, and while the Rays will try and repair the stadium for the 2026 season, George M. Steinbrenner Field will be their temporary home.
It first opened up on March 1st, 1996 when the Yankees hosted Cleveland for a Spring Training contest, and its served as the Yankees’ Spring Training home for nearly three decades since. There’s an agreement in place for it to remain their home through 2046, but the Rays will now be using it during the regular season as their home.
How this will affect the Yankees’ Single-A affiliate Tampa Tarpons remains a massive question however. They don’t open their season until after MLB’s Opening Day and their season ends earlier as well, but there are a couple of variables that are at play here.
Rain in the Tampa area is a serious problem, which is why Tropicana Field has a roof, and it causes a myriad of scheduling nightmares for the Tampa Tarpons. For a Single-A team, double-headers aren’t the worst thing in the world since it gives other players on the roster chances to get in games, and Minor League Baseball can always cancel games for teams out of the playoff picture.
At the Major League level cancelling games is a lot less common, and having two teams share a home with these constant rain delays and postponements could be a disaster. The Rays are in a precarious situation with their schedule with this newfound problem, and for the Tarpons they could be displaced for the 2025 season.
The Yankees are expected to gain roughly $15 million in this agreement with the Rays, it doesn’t count towards payroll but rather their projected revenue for the 2025 season.