There are two temporary playing facilities for MLB teams this season, and early reviews haven’t exactly been overly positive. Now, injuries are occurring on the playing surfaces, and opposing teams have begun to blame the field conditions for the ailments.
Two Temporary Facilities For 2025 Not Up To MLB Standards
Both the A’s and Rays were forced to play their home games minor league stadiums for the 2025 campaign. The team formerly based in Oakland has serious looming questions about the future of the franchise, while destruction by Hurricane Milton caused Tampa Bay to play at a nearby Spring Training location.
The Minnesota Twins have paid visits to both temporary locations within the past couple of weeks, and have had plenty of complaints about the conditions that they encountered.
“I’m not going to sacrifice two months of my season because of a couple of at-bats here.” -Carlos Correa
Minnesota Twins Blame A’s Ballpark for Injuring Star Players
— Last Dive Bar 🏟 (@LastDiveBar) June 8, 2025
Towards the end of the month of May, the Twins took on the Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. The stadium with a capacity of just over 11,000 has received criticism for its poor lighting and short foul poles, and borderline oppressive heat has already been an issue despite the hottest summer days still on the horizon.
But things are even worse in Sacramento. Sutter Health Park is the home of the River Cats, who are the AAA for the San Francisco Giants. They’ve agreed to share their facilities with the A’s, who are hashing out their future after leaving Oakland behind.
The Twins’ Pablo López is expected to miss 2-3 months after suffering a strained muscle in the back of his pitching shoulder Tuesday night. @MillerStrib has the story: https://t.co/GUH98kg6ja
— Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) June 5, 2025
The mound has been described by players as “too firm”, and the injury suffered by Minnesota pitcher Pablo Lopez may have been a result. The 29-year-old sustained a Grade 2 muscle strain in his most recent start at Sutter Health, and will miss 8 to 12 weeks while rehabbing.
Carlos Correa, one of the marquee names in the Twins’ lineup, kept himself out of a pair of games while visiting the A’s last week. His issue was with the batter’s box, which is far too slippery for MLB standards and has been compared to standing on concrete. After tweaking his back during the first two of the four game set against the A’s, Correa sat out the final two contests as a precaution.
“The plate here is killing me right now,” Correa said. “It’s very slippery. … For us that play with moldings, it’s a tough time getting grip on the plate, but it’s better than your feet hurting.”
