The MLB will have changes for next season, especially for the Tampa Bay Rayswho will have only 19 of their 22 games at home as they seek to avoid rain at Steinbrenner Field, their temporary home after the damage to Tropicana Field.
Tampa Bay is scheduled to play 19 of its first 22 games at home and 37 of 54 through May 28, then play 64 of its final 108 games on the road. The Rays will be home for eight games each in July and August.
A series scheduled at the Los Angeles Angels on April 7-9 will instead be played in Tampa, Florida, on April 8-10MLB said Monday. The second series between the teams will be played in Anaheim, California, from August 4-6 instead of in St. Petersburg, Florida, from August 5-7.
Minnesota’s first series against the Rays will be played at Steinbrenner Field from May 26-28 and the Twins’ second will be at Target Field in Minneapolis from July 4-6.
Tampa Bay enters the All-Star break with a 10-game trip to Minnesota, Detroit and Boston, and has a 12-game trip to Anaheim, Seattle, Oakland and San Francisco from Aug. 4-17.
Tropicana Field, home of the Rays since the team began play in 1998, was severely damaged by Hurricane Milton on October 9, destroying much of it. The Rays won’t be able to return to the Tropicana until 2026 at the earliest..
Tampa’s average monthly precipitation from 1991 to 2020 was 2.25 inches in April and 2.60 in May, according to the National Weather Service, then increased to 7.37 in June, 7.75 in July and 9.03 in August before falling to 6.09 in September.
The Class A Tampa Tarpons, the regular team at Steinbrenner Field, had six home postponements, two cancellations and four games called off this year from June 21 through their final game of the season on Sept. 8.
The Rays are now scheduled to play their first six games at home against Colorado and Pittsburgh, go to Texas for a three-game seriesand then return for a 13-game homestand against the Angels, Atlanta, Boston and Yankees.
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