ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. >> The Tampa Bay Rays will play their 2025 home games at the New York Yankees’ nearby spring training ballpark amid uncertainty about the future of hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field, Rays executives told The Associated Press.

Stuart Sternberg, the Rays’ principal owner, said in an interview that Steinbrenner Field in Tampa is the best fit for the team and its fanbase. At about 11,000 seats, it’s also the largest of the spring training sites in Florida.

“It is singularly the best opportunity for our fans to experience 81 games of major league Rays baseball,” Sternberg said. “As difficult as it is to get any of these stadiums up to major league standards, it was the least difficult. You’re going to see Major League Baseball in a small environment.”

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the Rays-Yankees deal is good for the sport and the Tampa Bay region.

“This outcome meets Major League Baseball’s goals that Rays fans will see their team play next season in their home market and that their players can remain home without disruption to their families,” Manfred said in a news release.

The Rays’ home since 1998, the domed Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg was hit hard by Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9, with most of its fabric roof shredded and water damage inside. The city of St. Petersburg, which owns the Trop, released an assessment of the damage and repair needs that estimated the cost at $55.7 million if it is to be ready for the start of the 2026 season.

The work would have to be approved by the city council, which earlier this year voted for a new $1.3 billion, 30,000-seat stadium to replace Tropicana Field beginning in 2028. The new stadium is part of a much larger urban revitalization project known as the Historic Gas Plant District — named for the Black community that once occupied the 86 acres (34 hectares) that includes retail, office and hotel space; a Black history museum; and restaurants and bars.

Amid all the uncertainty, the Rays know one thing: they will play 2025 in a smallish, outdoor ballpark operated by one of their main American League East division rivals. A ballpark with a facade mimicking that of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and festooned with plaques of Yankee players whose numbers have been retired.

Valenzuela’s cause of death revealed >> Fernando Valenzuela, the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching ace who helped the team win the 1981 World Series, died of septic shock last month, according to his death certificate.

TMZ Sports obtained the document on Tuesday. Valenzuela died on Oct. 22 at age 63, a few weeks after stepping away from his job on the Dodgers’ Spanish-language television broadcast and days before the Dodgers began their run to the team’s eighth World Series championship. No cause of death was provided at the time.

The Los Angeles County death certificate listed septic shock as the immediate cause of death. It is a life-threatening condition that occurs when organs malfunction, leading to dangerously low blood pressure. Each year, at least 350,000 people in the U.S. die of the condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The certificate listed decompensated alcoholic cirrhosis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis as underlying causes. Also listed as a significant condition contributing to Valenzuela’s death was “probable” Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rapidly progressive brain disorder.

The document also shows Valenzuela was cremated. A public Mass was held last week at Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles.

Women’s college basketball

Stanford keeps on rolling >> In its first game as a ranked team, No. 24 Stanford avoided an upset on its home floor Wednesday night and beat UC Davis 69-56 to improve to 4-0.

Depite blowing out Gonzaga on Sunday, the Cardinal found themselves trailing by a point late in the third quarter, then entered the fourth quarter with a narrow four-point lead. Stanford may have left the door open for an upset, but slammed it shut by outscoring the Aggies in the fourth quarter, 20-9.

Forward Nunu Agara recorded her first career double-double, totaling 25 points and 10 rebounds. Courtney Ogden had a career-high 16 points.

— Justice delos Santos

Men’s college basketball

Cal blown out by Vanderbilt >> Cal suffered its first loss of the season, losing Wednesday night to Vanderbilt 85-69 in Nashville, Tenn.

Andrej Stojakovic, the son of former Sacramento King Peja Stojakovic, led the Bears with 17 points while totaling six rebounds. Since transferring from Stanford, Stojakovic is averaging a team-high 16.0 points per game, though he’s only shooting 34.2% from the field.

Despite the loss, Cal announced that it has signed two in-state players: Semetri “TT” Carr from Mill Valley in the North Bay and Jovani Ruff from Long Beach.

Carr is a four-star prospect according to ESPN. He will play for Redwood High School in Larkspur after averaging 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists for The Branson School in Ross as a junior.

Ruff is also a four-star prospect according to ESPN and received offers from Kansas, Oregon and USC. At Long Beach Poly High, Ruff led the Mustangs in scoring as a sophomore (19.5 points per game) and junior (21.5 points per game).

— Justice delos Santos