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Home Field Struggles See Rays Fall In Weekly Power Rankings

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Troy Brock | Last updated May 18, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Home is where the heart is, but for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2025, it is a broken one.

The team is playing its home contests at George M. Steinbrenner Field this year after a storm destroyed the canvas roof at Tropicana Stadium last year. While many expected their stint in a minor league ballpark to go swimmingly, it has been more like an anchor weighed down with sandbags.

The Rays enter Saturday with a 20-24 record, holding down fourth in the American League East. Of those 24 losses, the lion's share have come in "home" games. The team holds an 11-17 record at "home," with a 9-7 record on the road.

Those struggles have seen Tampa Bay drop in the latest weekly power rankings from ESPN, now ranked 23rd after placing 20th in last week's edition.

Hello from George M. Steinbrenner Field, your home of the Tampa Bay Rays pic.twitter.com/tdg32oMkSc
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) March 24, 2025

The struggles have not been just from the pitchers this year, as the offense has struggled , too. Through the first 28 games at George M. Steinbrenner Field this year, only two players, Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda, have OPS marks above .800 among qualifying batters.

"When the Rays announced they would play their home games at Tampa's Steinbrenner Field this season," writes Buster Olney of ESPN , "the assumption was that the team's hitters -- who had previously competed in the pitcher's haven that is Tropicana Field -- would get a nice bump in a park thought to have a prevailing wind to right field. But that has not always been the case up to this point. The Rays' hitters rank 19th among the 30 teams in wRC+ in their home park, although they are tied for eighth in home runs. Brandon Lowe, Christopher Morel, Danny Jansen and Taylor Walls are all batting under .200 at home so far."

George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa Bay, as it will look as the Rays home for the rest of the season…. pic.twitter.com/HnyfFn1wUX
— MLB Cathedrals (@MLBcathedrals) March 26, 2025