Tampa Bay Rays Delay Opening Day Contest Against Colorado Rockies

Instead of playing their first game of the regular season on March 27, the Tampa Bay Rays and Colorado Rockies will instead face off starting March 28 so George M. Steinbrenner Field can be fully prepared.

Mar 25, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; A general view of the stadium before a game between the New York Mets and New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The 2025 regular season is still more than three months out, and the Tampa Bay Rays have already had their first game postponed.

The Rays announced Monday that they would no longer be facing the Colorado Rockies on March 27, which was supposed to be Opening Day for all 30 teams across MLB. Instead, the Rays and Rockies will open their three-game series on March 28 – previously scheduled to be an off day – before wrapping things up as planned on March 29 and 30.

The move was made in order to provide additional time to prepare George M. Steinbrenner Field for the Rays' arrival.

Tampa Bay has played its home games at Tropicana Field since its inaugural season back in 1998. When Hurricane Milton hit Florida's Gulf Coast in October, though, the ballpark had its roof torn off, leading to damage and flooding that rendered it unfit for big league action in 2025.

The Rays landed on Steinbrenner Field – the New York Yankees' Spring Training stadium – as their temporary home in November.

However, the Yankees will still be using Steinbrenner Field throughout Spring Training and Grapefruit League play, which doesn't wrap up until March 25. Even though New York's last home game at the venue is scheduled for March 22, the Rays apparently didn't view the compressed turnaround ahead of Opening Day as a viable one.

That extra day could make all the difference in the Rays making Steinbrenner Field their own, at least for the time being. The team won't be moving in until after the Yankees head back to the Bronx for their own Opening Day contest on March 27.

This isn't the first adjustment that has been made to Tampa Bay's schedule as a result of their temporary move, either. Last month, MLB swapped the Rays' home-and-homes with the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels to minimize the number of outdoor games at Steinbrenner Field during the hot and rainy summer months.

First pitch for the Rays' Opening Day showdown with the Rockies is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET on Friday, March 28.

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