Rays use first spring game to give new 2025 home a test drive
Adam Berry
@adamdberryTAMPA, Fla. -- The Rays won¡¯t have many more days like this at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
When the team bus rolled in from Charlotte Sports Park on Friday morning, players and staff piled out and took a quick left turn into the visitor¡¯s clubhouse. They watched their Grapefruit League opener, a 4-0 defeat, from the third-base dugout. Just about everywhere they looked, from the grass behind home plate to the ends of each row in the stands, they could see the Yankees¡¯ logos and signage.
In five weeks, this will be their ballpark.
By the time they host the Rockies on March 28, it will be transformed into the Rays¡¯ temporary home for the season. They will have moved into the renovated home clubhouse, featuring plenty of luxurious amenities added over the offseason. They will be ready to begin a new season, with all the benefits and challenges that come with playing outdoor baseball in Florida.
¡°Walking in from the car, I was just kind of looking at everything from the outside, driving by on the road, thinking we're going to spend our whole season here for home games,¡± outfielder Josh Lowe said. ¡°It's going to be a unique experience, and we're going to make the most out of it.¡±
Rays manager Kevin Cash said it no longer strikes him as weird to think about playing games as the home team at Steinbrenner Field. They¡¯ve had three months since the official announcement was made to process the news and move forward. He said afterward it felt like a ¡°normal spring game,¡± despite the unusual circumstances.
After Tropicana Field sustained significant damage during Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9, the Rays were grateful the Yankees made Steinbrenner Field available to them for this coming season. They can stay in the Tampa Bay area, keep players and staff close to home and potentially draw more fans from Hillsborough County.
This was, as president of baseball operations Erik Neander has said, ¡°the best possible outcome¡± for the Rays. But there is no denying it will make for a season unlike any other they¡¯ve ever had, starting with the four-day rush to make it feel like home between their March 23 Spring Training game here and their Opening Day matchup.
"Look, it's going to be an adventure, there's no doubt about it, but they've been very thankful,¡± Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said Friday morning. ¡°Their people are very competent. I think it's going to be as smooth a transition as possible. They're not going to have much time once we leave to do certain things they need to do, but they're going to get it done."
The Rays were still living life on the other side Friday, settling into the visitor¡¯s clubhouse that they helped expand and remodel to bring it up to Major League standards. But catcher Ben Rortvedt said it would be beneficial for them to get as much work as they can at Steinbrenner Field before the games officially count -- especially for those who haven¡¯t spent much time here.
¡°There's a lot of things that are going to change, but it's exciting to get over here and just walk the ground,¡± said Rortvedt, who spent two seasons in the Yankees organization before being traded to the Rays at the end of Spring Training last year. ¡°I'm going to try to go over in the [home] clubhouse and see how it is, but I've heard spectacular things. So we're grateful that this worked out and to be on the side of this bridge for now.¡±
Another change that could be beneficial to the Rays is the layout of the ballpark. The dimensions are identical to Yankee Stadium, which is famously favorable to left-handed hitters who pull the ball in the air. Second baseman Brandon Lowe recently said he was ¡°extremely excited¡± about the new venue. Jonathan Aranda said the thought also crossed his mind as he went 2-for-3 on Friday.
¡°There¡¯s gonna be balls that we¡¯re going to hit that [are] not going to go out in another field, but they¡¯re going to go out here,¡± said Aranda through interpreter Eddie Rodriguez. ¡°But we¡¯ve just got to continue to do what we are trying to do here.¡±
Many players have been impressed by what they¡¯ve seen and heard about the revamped home clubhouse, training facilities and other behind-the-scenes improvements. Cash said they will enjoy ¡°perfect clubhouse conditions, as good as anywhere in baseball.¡±
Soon enough, they¡¯ll see for themselves.
¡°If the Yankees put money into something, it's probably going to be great. So it¡¯s exciting, and I¡¯m looking forward to it,¡± Josh Lowe said. ¡°It's baseball. We're gonna take care of business on the field, no matter what field we're on.¡±