Should they qualify for the playoffs, the Tampa Bay Rays will host games at their temporary Tampa home.
Major League Baseball confirmed Tuesday that any postseason run by the Rays would go through 10,046-seat Steinbrenner Field.
In June, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that MLB had preliminary conversations about using the minor-league ballpark. Concerns included a limited number of tickets set aside for teams, sponsors and other stakeholders; a reduced gate receipt, of which players receive a share; and the ability to produce playoff-level television broadcasts.
Those issues did not carry enough weight to prevent the Rays from maintaining the home-field advantage gained while Tropicana Field’s hurricane damage is repaired.
“Our rule has always been that people play in their home stadiums during the World Series,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters in Atlanta, site of the All-Star Game. “And I’m not of a mind to change that rule. I understand it’s a unique situation. It’s different, but that’s where they’re playing. That’s where they’re going to play their games.”
Hosting games at an MLB facility such as Miami’s LoanDepot Park or Atlanta’s Truist Park was not considered.
The Rays are using the New York Yankees’ spring training facility in Tampa because Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg was wrecked by Hurricane Milton in October.
MLB and the Rays expect a return to a repaired Tropicana Field next spring, although Manfred said there are contingency plans to start the season elsewhere if the repairs aren’t completed. He didn't say what the contingencies were.
“We think we’re going to be ready to play in ’26 in the Trop,” Manfred said.
At 50-47, the Rays are 5½ games out of first place in the American League East at the All-Star break. They are also 1½ games out of a wild-card spot with 65 games remaining.
Tampa Bay resumes play with a six-game homestand beginning Friday against the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
