After suffering significant damage during Hurricane Milton, Tropicana Field is unlikely to be ready for the Tampa Bay Rays’ opening day in March, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Parts of the dome’s roof were ripped off during the storm, but the Rays haven’t issued public comment since a statement the day after the hurricane hit the Tampa-St. Petersburg area.
Surveying the damage has been an issue due to safety concerns according to the Tampa Bay Times report, but there are ‘indications of extensive damage elsewhere at the stadium,’ including team offices that are now open to the elements.
With less than six months until the Rays’ scheduled opener hosting the Colorado Rockies on March 27, the team will likely have to find a temporary home to at least start the 2025 season.
Some possibilities in the region include Steinbrenner Field in Tampa (home of Yankees spring training and the team’s single-A team), the baseball stadium at Disney World in Orlando and Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte – about 80 miles south of Tropicana Field – which hosts Rays spring training and the organization’s single-A club.
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Any of those venues would require upgrades in the coming months in order to host regular season MLB games.
The Major League Baseball Players Association is yet to be consulted on the matter.
After decades of fighting for a new home, the Rays are scheduled to open a new St. Petersburg stadium in 2028 – which certainly complicates the impetus to perform significant repairs on Tropicana Field.
The stadium opened in 1990 as the Florida Suncoast Dome, becoming the ThunderDome from 1993-1996 when the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning played their home games there. It has been the Rays’ home ballpark since the franchise came into existence in 1998.
‘It’s a little bit complicated how the fund works for Tropicana Field, but there is insurance on the property,’ city administrator Rob Gerdes told the Tampa Bay Times. ‘So that’s the first thing we’ll be looking at is the property insurance to help make repairs.’
