Tampa Bay Rays To Return To Port Charlotte For 2024 Spring Training

PORT CHARLOTTE, FL — The Tampa Bay Rays will return to Port Charlotte for the 2024 spring training season, according to multiple reports.

Hurricane Ian’s devastating hit to Southwest Florida at the end of September left the Rays’ usual spring training home base, Charlotte Sports Park in Charlotte County, with too much damage to welcome the team this year.

“It was pretty significant damage,” Sean Doherty, tourism director, Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach Visitor & Convention Bureau, told Patch. “More than we even realized at first. Now, we need to get it to where it’s fully operational.”

There was water damage to one of the roofs, electrical issues, a humid smell and exterior damage caused by the storm, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

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Because of this, the Rays were forced to find an alternative for this year’s spring training, splitting the season between the Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports for early workouts and their regular season home stadium, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, for games.

Starting Feb. 24 against the Atlanta Braves, the Rays will return to Charlotte County, playing 13 home exhibition games there, according to NBC Sports. The season’s final home game will take place March 26 against the Detroit Tigers.

For more Tampa Bay Rays spring training information, contact the team at 727-825-3422, 888-FAN-RAYS (888-326-7297) or email springtraining@raysbaseball.com.

The team has spent spring training at the Charlotte Sports Park since 2009, WINK reported.

The Rays and Charlotte County announced in December that Charlotte Sports Park couldn’t be used during the 2023 spring training season because of damage sustained during Ian at the end of September.

In January, Charlotte County Commissioners approved a contract with Wharton Smith to make repairs to the stadium, ABC 7 reported.

The 82-acre sports park offers a state-of-the-art facility with a 360-degree fan-friendly pedestrian concourse, a luxury hospitality suite level, two outfield berms, a children’s play area, an outfield bar, practice fields, batting cages, a covered pavilion, and meeting rooms, according to the county website. Capacity at the stadium is about 7,500.