MLB Possibly Facing Unprecedented Tampa Bay Rays Stadium Decision
MLB Possibly Facing Unprecedented Tampa Bay Rays Stadium Decision originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Here's a good hypothetical question: If the Tampa Bay Rays make this year's postseason, where would they play their home games?
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If you answered with a blank stare or a confused shrug, don't feel bad. Apparently, Major League Baseball and the Rays would both have the same response.
'If the season ended today, they would be in the postseason,' USA Today's Bob Nightengale wrote of the 35-30 Rays, 'but with no idea where they'd play their home games.'
Tampa Bay entered Monday in a three-way tie atop the AL Wild Card race. The Rays, Minnesota Twins, and Toronto Blue Jays are all 35-30, half a game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians.
Unlike the Twins and Blue Jays, though, the Rays haven't played a single true home game. Instead, the Rays are spending the entire season at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the New York Yankees' spring training home, after Tropicana Field suffered extensive damage during Hurricane Milton.
Steinbrenner Field in April 2025Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Nightengale reported that MLB officials are 'optimistic' that the Rays will resume playing at the Trop next year, but that won't mean much come October.
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Although Steinbrenner Field has done an adequate job thus far, it seems unlikely that Major League Baseball would permit postseason games in a stadium that barely fits 11,000 people. Petco Park in San Diego hosted the ALCS in 2020 amid the pandemic, while the NLCS and World Series were played at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Ironically, the Rays played in both stadiums that October because they won the AL pennant.
However, there is a significant difference between 11,000 fans attending a playoff game due to a global pandemic and 11,000 fans attending a playoff game because the stadium itself only holds that capacity.
Los Angeles Dodgers fans cheers before game six of the 2020 World SeriesTim Heitman-Imagn Images
Theoretically, the Rays could make the move down south and play any potential postseason home games at Marlins Park, given that the 24-39 Marlins are unlikely to make the playoffs.
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It is unclear if Major League Baseball would consider relocating the Rays' playoff games to an out-of-state venue. Could the Rays attempt to clinch the AL pennant at, say, Truist Park in Atlanta?
Whatever the case, all parties still have some time to figure things out. However, months will quickly become weeks, and at the Rays' current pace, the league would be wise to have a plan in place by mid-August.
Related: Braves Predicted to Make Major Brian Snitker Decision Amid Latest Freefall
Related: Clayton Kershaw Sends Clear Message to 'Bush League' Cardinals After Win
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
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