The once and possibly future home of the Tampa Bay Rays will get a new roof to replace the one shredded by Hurricane Milton with the goal of having the ballpark ready for the 2026 season, city officials decided in a vote Thursday.

The St. Petersburg City Council voted 7-1 to approve $22.5 million to begin the repairs at Tropicana Field, which will start with a membrane roof that must be in place before other work can continue. Although the Rays pulled out of a planned $1.3 billion new stadium deal, the city is still contractually obligated to fix the Trop.

“We are legally bound by an agreement. The agreement requires us to fix the stadium,” said council member Lissett Hanewicz, who is an attorney. “We need to go forward with the roof repair so we can do the other repairs.”

The hurricane damage forced the Rays to play home games this season at Steinbrenner Field across the bay in Tampa, the spring training home of the New York Yankees. The Rays went 4-2 on their first home stand ever at an open-air ballpark, which seats around 11,000 fans.

Under the current agreement with the city, the Rays owe three more seasons at the Trop once it’s ready again for baseball, through 2028. It’s unclear if the Rays will maintain a long-term commitment to the city or look to Tampa or someplace else for a new stadium. Major League Baseball has said keeping the team in the Tampa Bay region is a priority. The Rays had played at the Trop since their inception in 1998.

“We are pleased to see City Council take this important step toward preparing Tropicana Field for Major League Baseball in time for 2026 opening day,” Rays co-president Brian Auld said in a statement. “We commend in particular city, Rays and MLB staff for their cooperative efforts to get us to this point.”

The overall cost of Tropicana Field repairs is estimated at $56 million, said city architect Raul Quintana. After the roof, the work includes fixing the playing surface, ensuring audio and visual electronics are working, installing flooring and drywall, getting concession stands running and other issues.

“This is a very complex project. We feel like we’re in a good place,” Quintana said at the council meeting Thursday.

Under the proposed timeline, the roof installation will take about 10 months. The unique membrane system is fabricated in Germany and assembled in China, Quintana said, adding that officials are examining how President Donald Trump’s new tariffs might affect the cost.

The new roof, he added, will be able to withstand hurricane winds as high as 165 mph (265 kph). Hurricane Milton, one of the strongest hurricanes ever in the Atlantic basin at one point, blasted ashore Oct. 9 south of Tampa Bay with Category 3 winds of about 125 mph (200 kph).

Citing mounting costs, the Rays last month pulled out of a deal with the city and Pinellas County for a new $1.3 billion ballpark to be built near the Trop site. That was part of a broader $6.5 billion project known as the Historic Gas Plant district to bring housing, retail and restaurants, arts and a Black history museum to a once-thriving Black neighborhood razed for the original stadium.

The city council plans to vote on additional Trop repair costs over the next few months.

YANKEES’ SCHMIDT TO MAKE DEBUT APRIL 15 OR 16 >> Clark Schmidt is on track to make his New York Yankees season debut on April 15 or 16 against the Kansas City Royals.

Schmidt is recovering from right rotator cuff tendinitis and set to start Saturday for Double-A Somerset at Hartford, his first game action since a March 11 exhibition against Baltimore.

“One more after and then with us either the 15th or 16th,” manager Aaron Boone said Thursday.

A 29-year-old right-hander, Schmidt is among three projected starters absent from the Yankees rotation. Ace Gerrit Cole, the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner, will miss the season following Tommy John surgery. Reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil is sidelined until summer because of a lat strain.

Right-hander Ian Hamilton, recovering from a viral illness, made his second relief appearance for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday night. Boone said Hamilton will have one more minor league outing, then be activated for Monday’s series opener at Detroit.

Infielder DJ LeMahieu is about a week from getting at-bats against pitching. The 36-year-old, a two-time batting champion, injured a calf muscle in his spring training debut on March 1.

“It would be probably a pretty big buildup. I’d want him to have kind of a spring training, really,” Boone said.

MARTE, D-BACKS AGREE TO $116.5 DEAL >> Second baseman Ketel Marte and the Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a $116.5 million, six-year contract Wednesday.

The deal for the two-time All-Star includes escalators for MVP awards and plate appearances that could raise its value to $149.5 million.

Marte agreed in March 2022 to a $76 million, five-year deal that started in 2023 and had $49 million in guaranteed money remaining.