Baseball-Could take weeks to assess Hurricane Milton damage to Rays stadium

(Reuters) - Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays said on Thursday it could take weeks to assess the damage to its ballpark which had nearly its entire roof torn off as Hurricane Milton cut a destructive path across Florida.

The Rays, who are next scheduled to play at home on March 27 when they open their 2025 season, said nobody was hurt by the damage to the ballpark in St. Petersburg during the storm that hit Florida's west coast on Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane.

"Over the coming days and weeks, we expect to be able to assess the true condition of Tropicana Field. In the meantime, we are working with law enforcement to secure the building," the Rays said in a statement posted on X.

"We ask for your patience at this time, and we encourage those who can to donate to organizations in our community that are assisting those directly impacted by these storms."

Prior to the storm, the Florida Division of Emergency Management planned to turn the ballpark into the site of a 10,000-person base camp to support debris removal operations and host responders after the storm.

According to the Rays' media guide, its stadium features the "world's largest cable-supported domed roof" and is made of "six acres of translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass and supports itself with 180 miles of cables connected by struts." It was also built to withstand winds of up to 115 miles per hour.

Drone images that circulated online showed nearly the entire roof of the Rays' home ballpark ripped to shreds with remnants flapping in the wind and debris littering the field below.

The Rays did not qualify for the ongoing MLB playoffs, which marks the first time since 2018 they missed the postseason.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Bill Berkrot)