TAMPA, Fla. – Normally, the Yankee origins of right-handers Garrett Whitlock and Greg Weissert, catcher Carlos Narvaez, and outfielder Rob Refsnyder would have nothing to do with a road trip to play the Tampa Bay Rays.

But because Hurricane Milton shredded the Tropicana Field roof last October, the Rays are spending the 2025 season at George Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees’ spring training home.

Hundreds of major leaguers return to ballparks they once called home each season, and experience the odd feeling of being on the visitors’ side. But it’s almost unheard of for a major leaguer to return to another organization’s spring training facility for a regular-season game.

All four players had the same word to describe the unexpected homecoming:

Weird.

Though not necessarily in a bad way.

“I spent the most time here that I did at any affiliate,” Whitlock told the Herald. “I texted (my wife) last night, I was like, ‘Brings back a lot of old memories.’ I lived right down the street from here. It was neat. This was my home for a year and it was amazing and a lot of fun.”

Whitlock and Weissert were briefly teammates on the 2018 Tampa Tarpons, the Yankees’ Single-A affiliate that plays at Steinbrenner Field.

“It’s definitely weird, definitely weird,” Weissert told the Herald. “Being on the other side, too. I’m used to that bullpen over there, but that just feels like such a long time ago, too. But just weird playing in a minor league stadium in the big leagues. Used to that extra deck and stuff.”

It’s been over a decade since Refsnyder was a Tarpon, but he’s impressed with what he’s seen this week.

“I love all the renovations they’ve done, it looks a lot different (from) when I played here in 2013,” Refsnyder said.

Steinbrenner Field holds immense significance for Narvaez. He’s also the newest former Yankee on the team, so the memories are fresher.

“Playing here on the opposite side it’s kind of weird. Even weirder seeing everything (decorated) in Rays, but no, it’s special,” he said. “This is a special ballpark for me. It was my first big league experience in spring training (2023), and to me one of the coolest ballparks that I played in. The environment, the view, to hit the baseball is nice, I like this ballpark.”

Homesick

Tropicana Field has long been a polarizing ballpark, but even the most vehement Trop detractors agree that a natural disaster is a cruel and unfair impetus for relocation, even temporarily.

“As someone who had to evacuate for that hurricane, it was definitely a scary time,” Whitlock said. “Maybe it’s different for me since I did play here, but the facilities, they’re literally unreal. The Yankees facilities are top-notch, best of the best. … But it’s still like a mini Yankee Stadium. I’m sure the Rays made it seem as home-like as possible.”

“Love the mound,” said Weissert. “The mound was great at the Trop. This mound is great too, but I don’t know, it just felt close and steep.”

The Rays, who’ve been indoor cats since their inception in 1998, also have to play outdoor baseball in Tampa, where temperatures and humidity skyrocket in summers that can get extremely rainy.

“Y’all are gonna see, especially once it starts getting warmer, balls are gonna fly out of here. Fly!” Whitlock said. “Oh my gosh, it’s a great time for those Rays players to be here, because it’s just an absolute boom box. Our first baseman, Steven Sensley, would put balls like, outside the park onto the highway. I’ve seen clips of guys clearing the scoreboard. It flies here because there’s no third deck to block the wind. You see the wind will blow straight out.”

In other words, Yankee Stadium on steroids. “Yeah, picture a wind blowing out at Yankee Stadium. Every hitter would love it.”

“That was also nice about the Trop, it was always 71 degrees and never too hot, never too humid, perfect,” concurred Weissert. “It’s gonna be brutal here in the summer. 105 (degrees) and 100% humidity, it’s draining.”

But simply put, no number of Rays logos will change the fact that this is Yankee territory.

“I imagine it’s pretty strange to come to a different team’s minor league stadium and play home games,” Weissert said. “They’ve done a good job with it, like all the Rays stuff, but I’m sure it’s weird.”

Whitlock also revealed that the Trop’s employees were a topic of concern for Red Sox players during the series.

“We were talking about it in the bullpen yesterday, we feel for the workers that work at the Trop,” he said. “Those people that relied on their jobs at the Trop, did they make sure that those people have jobs here at Steinbrenner? Or are those people just out of jobs and trying to find work now? How does it affect the people that rely on Tropicana Field to have a job?”

According to Rays media relations, Trop employees were offered their same jobs at Steinbrenner for the season, while the Yankees continue to employ their staff as well. Local businesses around the Trop, however, will suffer greatly in the Rays’ absence.

Rivalry reminders

The Rays have temporarily replaced a significant amount of Yankee decor, there’s still plenty of ‘pinstripe pride’ around Steinbrenner Field. For several of these Red Sox, it’s a unique reminder that they’re in a small class of players who’ve actually been on both sides of baseball’s most storied rivalry.

“I grew up a Met fan, so I didn’t really have the rivalry to begin with,” Weissert said. “My dad hates the Yankees, so he was happy when I got traded.”

Narvaez is the newest Yankee defector, acquired from New York in early December, but he’s eagerly embraced the switch.

“Oh my god, yes, I feel like I’m a Sox,” he said. “At the beginning, I’m not gonna lie, (being traded) was a little weird, kind of shocking to me.”

But the catcher, who idolized Miguel Cabrera but also loved watching David Ortiz, Victor Martinez, and Pedro Martinez play for the Red Sox, warmed up to the change very quickly.

“Right now we’re going through some things, but I think when you got a special group like this one, we keep it together the whole time. We’re gonna be for big moments,” he said. “I love the city, I love playing in Fenway. The fan base is insane. I know Yankees fans are insane, but Boston, Fenway is great. Especially when you play good, it’s gonna be awesome. You don’t play good, you’re gonna feel it. … I love every guy (on the team). I think we got a special group.”

Narvaez will get his first taste of the rivalry in June.

“I’m excited for every Red Sox game, but for sure I’m looking forward to that,” he said.

Fond memories

Two moments from his first big-league camp at Steinbrenner stand out to Narvaez as signs he was truly turning his dreams into reality. There was a doubleheader against the Mets in which he homered in each game, and his first time behind the dish for the Yankees’ ace.

“I got the chance to catch my first-ever Gerrit Cole (start),” Narvaez said. “That was really cool to me, super, super cool to me because I think I’d played only High-A at that moment, so just to have the chance with him. We’ve got a really good relationship, we clicked from that day, so to me that was really special. … I had a homer in the first one, homer in the second one, and the day after, I (got) called up to High-A. So I always remember that from this field. Those two days were good.”

For Refsnyder, a sillier memory remain at the forefront.

“One time Mark Teixeira was playing first base and I was backing up a game, and Jake Cave was playing this game on the steps of the dugout, and we dared him to throw the ball against the steps of the dugout and he threw it onto the field and Mark Teixeira got really pissed,” Refsnyder said. “That was one of my favorite memories of this stadium.”

Whitlock’s favorite Steinbrenner Field story might take the cake, though.

“I don’t know if I should tell the story,” he began. “Honestly, he did it, so I’m gonna tell it.

“Reggie Jackson lives here, he would always come, him and Nick Swisher would always come to our games and hang out in the dugout, and everything like that. Well, Reggie was not wearing baseball pants, would just come in shorts and t-shirt, and he’d hang out in games.

“He was not liking the way the umpire was calling the game, so in between innings, Reggie Jackson walks out onto the field and starts talking to the umpire. I’m not gonna say he was arguing, I don’t know what all was going on. I just know that the umpire kept looking at our manager like, ‘What is happening right now? This guy in shorts is like, out here talking to me at a High-A baseball game, what is happening?’ And our manager just look at him like, ‘What do you want me to do? It’s Reggie Jackson. I can’t – it’s a Hall of Famer. What do you want me to do?’

“And I remember us just sitting in the dugout being like, what is happening right now? There’s nobody in the stands, because it’s a Single-A baseball game, and Mr. October is out here, it looks like arguing with the umpires, and all of us in the dugout are just dying laughing, because the umpire’s not going to throw him out, because you don’t eject Reggie Jackson, and our manager is not going to come take him away, because it’s Reggie Jackson. You’re not going to put hands on him. And none of us are going to say anything, but we were just like, this is pure amusement. I think the umpire ended up just kind of like, loving it, and it was just hilarious to watch.”