MLB commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed Tuesday the Tampa Bay Rays will host any potential playoff games in their temporary 10,000-seat venue.
The Tampa Bay Times first reported the news.
The Rays are spending the 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the Yankees, during renovations to Tropicana Field following significant damage from Hurricane Milton last fall. Steinbrenner Field seats slightly more than 10,000 fans, while Tropicana holds about 25,000 people for baseball games.
“Our rule has always been that people play in their home stadiums during the World Series. And I’m not of a mind to change that rule,” Manfred told the Times. “I understand it’s a unique situation. It’s different, but that’s where they’re playing.”
The Rays had a strong start to the season, but are 3–9 in July. Sitting just above .500, they’re fourth in the American League East behind the Blue Jays, Yankees, and Red Sox. With half the season to go and just 5.5 games back from Toronto, the postseason is still within reach.
The smaller capacity impacts the postseason player pool, which rose 20% to a record $129.1 million last season. Those payouts are largely determined by ticket sales, and the World Champion Dodgers, who have the largest stadium in MLB, helped drive up that number last year. Should the Rays make a deep playoff run, their stadium could hurt the amount all players receive from the playoffs. Even if ticket prices soar with the smaller capacity, it’s unlikely the revenue would make up for 15,000 absent fans. Manfred told the Times that the league will discuss potentially adding more seats for the playoffs.
The decision could also become a logistical headache, because MLB requires a certain allotment of tickets for playoff games. For teams in the World Series, MLB takes 7,500 tickets for each game for sponsors, media, players, league officials, and others.
Manfred also confirmed the team’s $1.75 billion sale is on track for this fall. Earlier this year, owner Stu Sternberg, who walked away from a $1.3 billion deal with St. Petersburg, Fla., and Pinellas County for a new stadium. Now, he appears ready to sell his team to a group led by Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski.
The Rays are not the only team in MLB playing in a smaller ballpark this season. The A’s moved to Sacramento as part of their plan to relocate to Las Vegas, playing in the home of the Triple-A River Cats. The stadium fits about 10,600 in seats and an additional 4,000 on the grass. The A’s are last in the American League West, 16 games back from division leader Houston.
