The Road Ahead | A Tampa Bay Rays special from WESH 2 Sports
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. —
In just a few days, postseason baseball will be back at the Trop for the first time since 2023.
The Rays are looking to get back in the playoff win column and win their first postseason series since making it all the way to the World Series in 2020.
A lot has changed just in the last year.
Two days after the Rays closed the book on a disappointing 2025 season, the team was sold to a new ownership group.
Damage from Hurricane Milton
Since then, they returned to the Trop after playing last season at the Yankees’ spring training facility in Tampa while repairs were made after damage from Hurricane Milton.
When the Rays returned to the Trop this season, it wasn’t the same one they last played in 561 days prior.
Every inch of the stadium saw some sort of touch-up, from the roof to the clubhouse, and upgrades to the fan experience.
At the peak of the project, roughly 300 workers were on-site daily. They were honored in a pre-game ceremony for their efforts.
The new roof allows for more natural light into the stadium. The players noted that it made it easier to track fly balls.
Each player’s jersey features a patch with pieces of the original roof sewn into the fabric.
It’s a tribute also available on jerseys sold in the team store.
The renovations extend well beyond the roof. Crews also replaced the sound systems, lighting and video board, along with new artificial turf, clubhouse carpet and lockers.
For the fans, there are new luxury suites, a speakeasy, grab-and-go stands, and new menu items.
And, of course, there’s a familiar sight in center field: The touch tank.
The seven stingrays who call this special spot home are the same seven rays who were in the tank when Milton ripped the roof off the building.
Full week off
The Rays are skipping the wild card round for the first time since 2021, giving them nearly a full week off.
Getting multiple days off in a row doesn’t happen much in baseball; sometimes it can be a good thing, sometimes it can be a bad thing.
The Rays hope it’ll give them a chance to rest and be at their best against either the Yankees or Red Sox.
The last time the Rays were in the playoffs three years ago, they got swept in the wild card round.
Three years before that, they made it all the way to the World Series, losing in six games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
They haven’t won a postseason series since that run, but the players believe they have a special group of guys this time around.