Rays See Sharp Attendance Drop in Temporary Home Amid Uncertainty

Much like the vast majority of situations surrounding the Rays, the Major League Baseball club’s stay thus far at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa is veering toward the extremes. 

The Rays have played 19 games at the spring training home of the Yankees—nearly a quarter of their home schedule for 2025 in a situation created by the extreme damage last fall from Hurricane Milton. The tenure to date has created a wide array of both positives and negatives. 

On the plus side, both the Rays and Yankees have been praised for their extensive efforts to upgrade the stadium’s amenities where possible, particularly given the time constraints involved, as well as install Rays-oriented branding around the ballpark. The situation also compares favorably to the embattled stadium operations for the A’s in Sacramento.

The far smaller capacity of Steinbrenner Field, however, has helped fuel a 36% drop in attendance compared to the team’s draw last year at Tropicana Field to an average of 10,046 per game, the lowest in the league. A still-glaring difference between some components common to most MLB ballparks and what’s at Steinbrenner Field, such as the 30-foot foul poles that barely meet the big league standard, also helped lead to situations like on Sunday, when a seemingly fair drive from Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was called a foul ball. 

“It’s tough when you’re in a situation like this in a minor league park where the foul poles aren’t as high,” Judge said. “I think everybody is kind of scratching their head, but [there’s] nothing I can do about it. They missed it, and I’ve just got to move on.”

The games at Steinbrenner Field, meanwhile, are continuing while the team’s long-term status remains decidedly unknown. The Rays last month walked away from a deal with St. Petersburg, Fla., and Pinellas County to build a $1.3 billion ballpark, citing increased costs in the project. 

That move, despite MLB’s continued support for the No. 11 U.S. media market, continues to draw repeated criticism, particularly from outspoken local politicians such as county commissioner Chris Latvala. He recently took aim at Rays owner Stu Sternberg and the club’s move to sell hurricane-damaged pieces of the Tropicana Field roof for $15 each. St. Petersburg officials recently approved a plan to begin repairs to that roof. 

“Since Stu will sell literal garbage for $$$, how long before he tries to gut the place to make a dollar for himself?” said Latvala in a social media post. The county commissioner has made public attacks on Sternberg a near-daily ritual.