{"id":654899,"date":"2026-03-31T18:06:38","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T18:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/654899\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T18:06:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T18:06:38","slug":"the-trop-gets-finishing-touches-as-rays-prepare-to-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/654899\/","title":{"rendered":"The Trop gets finishing touches as Rays prepare to return"},"content":{"rendered":"

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. \u2014 After nearly 18 months, the Tampa Bay Rays are only days away from returning home to Tropicana Field.<\/p>\n

And activity is buzzing around the facility to everything ready.<\/p>\n

One week before officially reopening for the Rays home opener vs. the Chicago Cubs on April 6, crews outside of Tropicana Field were working to put a final coat of paint on some of the exterior doors and railings, wash concrete entrances, and clear debris from Booker Creek.<\/p>\n

What You Need To Know<\/p>\n

Rays team store is open Monday – Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ahead of Opening Day
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Fans will not be allowed inside the ballpark until April 6
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The field is complete, include grass, clay, and dugout areas
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MORE:\u00a0Tampa Bay Rays return to Tropicana Field<\/a><\/p>\n

While the ballpark won\u2019t open to fans until next Monday, the team store reopened in late March, giving fans one access point to the newly-repaired Tropicana Field.<\/p>\n

The store is filled with new merchandise, including items that are a nod to Tropicana Field\u2019s chaotic past 18 months. Every jersey with the new “Webull” patch also has a piece of the tattered roof sewn inside of it. The pieces of the damaged roof were punched into small circular discs and included in the inside sleeve, under the patch.<\/p>\n

That little circle you see on the inside of the patch is actually a piece of the tattered Tropicana Field roof that ripped off in Hurricane Milton. It\u2019s sewn into the back of every \u2018Webull\u2019 patch on both the Rays jerseys and the ones sold in the team store @bn9<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/W1TSPOiAok<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Angie Angers (@angie_angers) March 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

These jerseys are worn by the players each game and also available for sale at the Rays team store.<\/p>\n

Bill Walsh, chief business officer for the Tampa Bay Rays, said the damage to Tropicana Field was extensive and they included an industrial hygienist as part of their staff who completes routine air quality testing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWater got in everywhere and water as we know finds its way downhill. So it was in places of the building that we didn\u2019t expect,\u201d Walsh said.<\/p>\n

Walsh said for the last few days before opening day, the team is working to install the final pieces needed in concession areas, finish painting, clean floors, and put the finishing touches on many of the areas fans will see.<\/p>\n

\u201cTropicana Field was in many ways the poster child for these storms that hit us,\u201d Walsh said. \u201cSo its really emotional frankly and really powerful and really exciting to welcome fans back here as a symbol of that residency and recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lifelong Rays fans Tyler Groen and Tanner Shipley visited the Rays store the first day it opened. They brought along Shipley\u2019s son to start creating the same memories with him that they had with their parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe young kids are coming up, hopefully they play well,\u201d Groen said. \u201cThe Trop will be open and it will be good to see the city get behind everybody again and really embrace the team coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rays new ownership team<\/a> said they\u2019re focused on making sure fans feel connected to the organization and enjoy coming to games.<\/p>\n