A casual fan's guide to the 2025 Rays
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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."