ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays are coming home.

And for the first time since the start of the pandemic, the Rays will welcome fans into Tropicana Field.

The 9,000 fans allowed in the Trop (due to Covid restrictions) will watch the defending American League champion Rays take on the New York Yankees at 3:10 p.m. The Rays will unveil the 2020 AL East and AL Championship banners before the game.

Things will be different, however, as Covid-19 restrictions will be in place, starting with social distancing in the stands. Fans in the Trop will be seated in pods and they will have to wear their masks unless seated and actively eating, or drinking.

Still, despite the protocols that will be in place, Rays’ manager Kevin Cash says they're thrilled to welcome back fans.

“It's going to be exciting,” he said. “Our fans missed a lot last year not being able to be in the ballpark.  We want to welcome them back, even though it's limited capacity.  We missed the heck out of them.”

Inside the Trop, there are also special UV lights and devices installed in the AC units to break down contaminants, like the Coronavirus, and all high touch surfaces will be disinfected periodically.

Fans will also have the option to buy prepackaged, grab n’ go food items to help get them back to their seats faster. They’ll also be able to place mobile orders from their seats to skip the concession lines all together.

As always, the Trop is cash free, so fans don’t need to touch anything to make purchases.

Gates at the Trop will open at 1:40 p.m. today.

Rays officials encourage fans to pre-pay for parking to further limit contact, and they’re offering a discounted rate.