{"id":639067,"date":"2026-03-23T15:14:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T15:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/639067\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T15:14:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T15:14:14","slug":"tampa-bay-rays-get-first-look-at-renovated-tropicana-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/639067\/","title":{"rendered":"Tampa Bay Rays get first look at renovated Tropicana Field"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Tampa Bay Rays have been without a permanent home since Hurricane Milton ravaged Florida in October 2024. The Rays\u2019 domed stadium, Tropicana Field, sustained severe damage when high winds ripped fiberglass panels off the roof. As a result, Tampa Bay played 2025 MLB<\/a> home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the spring training home of the New York Yankees.<\/p>\n

MORE: World Series champ gets chance to manage, leads Cincinnati Reds to walk-off victory<\/a><\/p>\n

On Sunday, March 22, a group of Rays outfielders returned to the refurbished Tropicana Field for the first time. The stadium will be ready for Tampa Bay\u2019s home opener on April 6 against the Chicago Cubs.<\/p>\n

In November 2025, the team\u2019s X account shared a video<\/a> showing the extent of the repairs. The cost was roughly $75 million.<\/p>\n

Panel by panel, thank you to everyone who worked tirelessly to make @tropicanafield<\/a> whole again.<\/p>\n

With the placement of the last piece, yesterday was a massive step forward for us, The City of St. Pete and Rays fans everywhere. pic.twitter.com\/VloIHETGhe<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) November 21, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Manager Kevin Cash and first base\/outfielders coach Corey Dickerson hit fly balls to help the outfielders get used to the atmosphere. Rays infielders visit Tropicana Field on March 23.<\/p>\n

Of the outfielders \u2014 Jonny DeLuca, Chandler Simpson and Ryan Vilade \u2014 only DeLuca had previous experience at the Trop. He noticed the new roof panels are darker, making it easier to pick up the white baseball.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was nice being back in the Trop,\u201d Deluca said<\/a>. \u201cLast year was kind of weird, but it was fun to be back there.\u201d<\/p>\n

DeLuca continued, \u201cIt\u2019s kind of nicer going in there, I mean, everyone, when they went in there, was like, \u2018Oh, it\u2019s brighter. It\u2019s brighter.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

As spring training winds down, the team\u2019s X account<\/a> shared a video of players commenting on what they\u2019ll like most about returning to the Trop. Most mentioned the climate-controlled conditions inside the dome.<\/p>\n

Although the Rays had a winning record at home last season (41-40), they endured a second straight losing season (77-85) after making the playoffs for five consecutive seasons.<\/p>\n

Finally, Tampa Bay opens the regular season on March 26 in St. Louis against the Cardinals at 4:15 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead <\/a>\u2014<\/p>\n

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