A casual fan's guide to the 2025 Rays
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.

This is Ryan Pepiot. He's the Rays' Opening Day starting pitcher. Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Friday is Opening Day for the Tampa Bay Rays as they kick off the new season at home against the Rockies.
- If you're a baseball fan, you already knew that. This mini-guide is for everyone else.
Here are four things to know about the 2025 Rays:
🏟️ Is that... the sky?
Your eyes aren't deceiving you: For the first time in team history, the Rays will not play home games at Tropicana Field, which lost its roof to Hurricane Milton.
- The team instead will play at Tampa's open-air Steinbrenner Field. Brace for summer heat and rain delays.
⚾️ Heroic hurlers
The Rays' pitching is considered the team's strength, with a rotation featuring ace Shane McClanahan and key starters Drew Rasmussen and Ryan Pepiot.
- McClanahan was set to start opening day but suffered a pesky nerve issue, so Pepiot will be on the mound Friday.
🧢 Batters up
Second baseman Brandon Lowe, a power hitter and last season's team MVP, leads the list of names to know in the Rays' lineup.
- Keep an eye on third baseman Junior Caminero, who's 21 and primed for a breakout season. He's said he wants to hit 30 homers.
🏷️ Ownership rumors
With the collapse of the team's deal for a new stadium in St. Pete, reports say owner Stu Sternberg is under pressure from the league to sell.
- The team has said it's not for sale, but buyers are circling. Don't be surprised if the owner's box has different occupants by season's end.
Bonus: 🤔 1 quirk of baseball history to go
Changing teams mid-season is a fact of life for many professional athletes.
- Changing teams mid-game? That's an experience unique to new Rays catcher Danny Jansen.
Flashback: Jansen was playing for the Toronto Blue Jays on June 26, 2024, when severe weather at Fenway Park led to a road game against the Boston Red Sox being suspended in the second inning.
- By the time the game resumed on Aug. 26, Jansen had been traded to the Sox — making him the first player in MLB history to appear in the same game for both teams.
"Honestly, when I heard about it, I didn't think I would be the first," Jansen said at the time, per ESPN. "The game has been around for so long."
- "It's extremely rare and cool."
