The Tampa Bay Rays have decided on a 2025 home.
According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the Rays will play out of Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the spring training home of the New York Yankees, next season.
The Rays will not be able to return to Tropicana Field, the only stadium the team has called home since its inaugural season in 1998, because of damage to the roof wrought by Hurricane Milton in October.
More news: Watch Hurricane Milton Rips Roof off Tropicana Field, Home of MLB's Tampa Bay Rays
The team learned Wednesday that it will take at least a year to make the necessary repairs, cementing the obvious need to find a temporary home venue.
Steinbrenner Field, name for the late New York Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner, was built in 1996 and seats 11,026 people.
The Tampa Bay Times reported Tuesday that Tropicana Field was given an estimated repair bill of about $55.7 million, with work completed no sooner than the Rays' 2026 season opener.
Marc Topkin and Colleen Wright reported that Hurricane Milton caused an estimated $39 million in damage — the roof was responsible for $23.6 million alone — and an additional $16 million in costs.
More news: Rays Have Timeline to Move Back Into Tropicana Field: Report
It's still unclear how many seasons the Rays will need to play away from Tropicana Field. The city of St. Petersburg might not want to pay down the repair costs, even if its insurance policy on the stadium is able to help.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, the city policy includes a $22 million deductible and $25 million of coverage — reduced in March from $100 million so the city could save $275,000 in premium payments.
Complicating matters: the Rays are already scheduled to move in to a new field in 2028, meaning any repairs made to Tropicana Field would only help its current tenant for two seasons (2026-27) at the most.
More to come on this story from Newsweek Sports.
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