DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Most years, the Rays wrap up Spring Training with a few workouts and an exhibition game at Tropicana Field. It’s a good way to break camp, get the players settled in at home and reacclimated to their ballpark before the games that count get underway.\n\nThat isn’t possible this spring, as repair work continues inside Tropicana Field ahead of the Rays’ April 6 home opener against the Cubs, but they’re finding ways to get their players a little work inside the Trop before heading out for their season-opening road trip.
The Rays sent a group of outfielders to Tropicana Field on Sunday morning to take part in defensive drills before the team’s game against the Blue Jays at TD Ballpark, and their infielders will make a similar visit on Monday morning before the Rays play the Phillies at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater.\n\nThe Rays previously had shortstop Taylor Walls test out the infield dirt during a brief workout earlier this month, but this was the first larger group expedition. First-base/outfield coach Corey Dickerson and manager Kevin Cash hit fly balls and grounders to the outfielders, who also worked on handling balls off the wall and fielded high flies from a machine to get used to the dome’s rebuilt roof and new playing surface.\n\n“It was nice being back in the Trop,” outfielder
\n\n\nOrange you glad? \uD83C\uDF4A pic.twitter.com/kHNBhZLtmr
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) March 22, 2026
“It was nice to get in there,” Simpson said. “Good to see it. Good to do some baseball work in there, see how we could track the ball from the ceiling and do a little outfield communication, see how the ball bounces on the wall, see how it rolls on the turf and really just tracking the ball from the roof.”\n\nThe new roof doesn’t look exactly the same, DeLuca noted. Several of the panels are still in the process of bleaching from a brown-ish color to white in the sun. That means the roof currently provides a little contrast that didn’t exist before, making it easier to pick up a white ball against an otherwise-white roof, although the panels will all eventually become the same shade of white.\n\nThe new fiberglass composite membrane roof is also a single layer, meaning it should seem brighter inside during day games when it’s sunny outside.
\n\n\nPanel by panel, thank you to everyone who worked tirelessly to make @tropicanafield whole again.
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) November 21, 2025
With the placement of the last piece, yesterday was a massive step forward for us, The City of St. Pete and Rays fans everywhere. pic.twitter.com/VloIHETGhe
“It's kind of nicer going in there,” DeLuca said. “I mean, everyone, when they went in there, was like, 'Oh, it's brighter. It's brighter.'”\n\nCenter fielder
**Around the horn**\n\nSecond baseman
“Mom started crying. Dad was fired up. Little bro was fired up,” Vilade said. “It was a super special moment for all of us.”\n\nWith Vilade and DeLuca officially on the team, the Rays’ position player group is set aside from a final decision about what to do at shortstop. The club is still evaluating its options in the bullpen.\n\nStarter