PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — As the Rays gear up for the upcoming regular season, they are accustomed to facing uncertainty, especially considering their games will be held at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field, which serves as the spring training facility for the New York Yankees.

“This is what we’ve been dealing with,” stated Erik Neander, the Rays’ president of baseball operations, during a recent session at the team’s spring training site.

The situation has become even more challenging following Hurricane Milton, which damaged St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field on October 9, rendering it unplayable until at least 2025. Moreover, the team has until March 31 to finalize plans for a proposed $1.3 billion stadium in St. Petersburg, which wouldn’t be completed before 2029.