Tampa Bay Rays return to action on Opening Day

Round up your crew and head to the funky barn in St. Pete where the catwalks matter and it’s always 72 degrees.

🥳 IT’S OPENING DAY, TAMPA BAY!

What’s happening: Your Rays, back-to-back American League East division champs, return to action at 3:10pm with the first of a three-game home stand against the lowly Baltimore Orioles as Major League Baseball revs up across the country.

State of play: The Rays were excellent last year, building a franchise-best 100-62 and falling to the hot Boston Red Sox in the postseason.

• And the team has been relatively static in the offseason, with few noteworthy trades.

What we’re watching: Wander Franco, all day.

💰 In November, the phenom signed an 11-year, $182 million contract, the richest deal ever for a player with less than a year in MLB. He’ll be fun to watch.

The intrigue: Franco’s father, also named Wander, named his three sons Wander in hopes that one would make the name famous.

🗺 Wander Samuel plays for the Rays, while brothers named Wander Alexander and Wander Javier played in the minors, per the New York Times.

If you go: Some of the food at The Trop this year is just wild. We’re looking at you, Footlong Tater Tot.

🍣 Don’t miss the Rays Up Roll (somewhere between a California roll and a chimichanga) and the Ice Cream Nachos (ice cream with waffle cone chips).