Rays Set for Opening Day at Temporary Home, Steinbrenner Field, After Decent Spring Training
Baseball comes back to Tampa on March 28 as the Rays take on the Colorado Rockies at George M. Steinbrenner Field. The team moved locations after Hurricane Milton damaged Tropicana Field beyond use.
Spring training ended with mixed outcomes, an 8-8-3 record, and a team batting average of .277. The Rays smashed 22 homers, landing them among MLB’s spring leaders.
After missing the playoffs with an 80-82 record last season, things look brighter ahead. Recent spring games showed good potential, including a dominant 14-4 win over Washington and a strong performance in the Spring Breakout series where they beat Boston 7-5.
Rising star Carson Williams caught everyone’s eye with a massive homer, a 413-foot shot leaving his bat at 107 mph during the Breakout game. Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell also stood out in front of scouts.
“It goes to show you how good both teams are,” said top prospect Carson Williams to MLB.com. “Lot of hitting, lot of good defense. And it was pretty special to play in this game.”
The bullpen sees changes as Pete Fairbanks recovers from a three-week rest. Meanwhile, Cole Wilcox drops to the minors and Jake Brentz gets cut as the team trims its roster.
Fresh faces include Ricardo Gonzalez at shortstop, quick outfielder Homer Bush Jr. in center, Will Simpson at first, and J.D. Gonzalez catching. The pitching rotation depends on keeping their key three healthy: Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, and Shane Baz.
In team discussions, there’s talk about shifting All-Star Yandy Diaz lower in the batting order to boost scoring. The first pitch flies at 4:10 p.m. when the Rays break in their temporary home.
