Hurricane Irma: MLB moving Yankees-Rays series from Tropicana to Citi Field

The series was scheduled to be played at Tropicana Field in Tampa

For the second time in a week, weather has forced MLB to move a series to a neutral site. Last week Hurricane Harvey, which devastated Houston, forced the Astros and Rangers to play three games at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay.

Now, due to Hurricane Irma, the Rays and Yankees will have next week's three-game series moved from Tropicana Field to Citi Field in New York. The Rays announced the move Friday afternoon.

"After much consideration, our games against the Yankees will be moved to Citi Field as Hurricane Irma approaches Florida," said Rays president Brian Auld in a statement. "We are grateful to the Mets for opening their doors to us. We are most concerned with the safety of our fans, our families, friends and neighbors."

Yankee Stadium is presumably unavailable for the series because the New York City Football Club, a Major League Soccer franchise which plays its home games at Yankee Stadium, has a game over the weekend. They won't be able to get the field prepared for baseball in that short a period of time.

The Yankees and Rays will play three games from Monday, Sept. 11 to Wednesday, Sept. 13. Tampa Bay will be the home team for the series at Citi Field. 

Hurricane Irma weakened from a Category 5 storm to a Category 4 storm Friday, though it remains very powerful. It is expected to hit Miami this weekend and impact the entire state of Florida.