Five of the 30 MLB stadiums use artificial turf as their standard playing surface in 2026: Rogers Centre, Chase Field, Globe Life Field, loanDepot Park, and Tropicana Field. That last one comes with an asterisk — Tropicana Field is still working through repairs after Hurricane Milton tore its roof apart in October 2024, and the surface status there deserves its own explanation below.
- 5 of 30 MLB stadiums have artificial turf in 2026: Rogers Centre, Chase Field, Globe Life Field, loanDepot Park, and Tropicana Field.
- 4 of those 5 turf parks have retractable roofs; Tropicana Field is the lone fixed dome and is under repair after 2024 storm damage.
- The other 25 MLB stadiums, including every open-air park, use natural grass in 2026.
- Turf shows up almost exclusively in domed or partially-domed parks where sunlight and drainage make grass hard to maintain.
- Triptyka's MLB ballpark checklist tracks which surface each stadium uses so you know what you're stepping onto before you visit.
Why This Matters
Surface type changes how a ballpark plays and how it feels to watch a game in person. Turf parks run faster infields, truer bounces, and warmer air temperatures on the field in summer — Chase Field and Globe Life Field both use retractable roofs partly to manage heat, not just rain. If you're working through a full list of MLB stadiums as part of a ballpark bucket list, knowing which five are turf and which 25 are grass tells you what kind of game you'll actually see.
It also matters for travel planning. Domed turf parks are climate-controlled, so a rainout is basically impossible at Rogers Centre or loanDepot Park — useful if you're stacking multiple games into one road trip.
How Many MLB Stadiums Have Artificial Turf in 2026?
Five stadiums run artificial turf as their game-day surface in 2026. Here's the full breakdown:
| Team | Stadium | Surface | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Blue Jays | Rogers Centre | Artificial turf | Retractable |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | Chase Field | Artificial turf | Retractable |
| Texas Rangers | Globe Life Field | Artificial turf | Retractable |
| Miami Marlins | loanDepot Park | Artificial turf | Retractable |
| Tampa Bay Rays | Tropicana Field | Artificial turf (under repair) | Fixed dome |
Verdict: if you're building a ballpark bucket list in 2026, five stops give you a turf field, and four of those five let you watch under a retractable roof rather than a sealed dome.
The other 25 parks — from Fenway Park to Dodger Stadium to Oracle Park — all play on natural grass. That includes every stadium built or renovated in the last two decades outside of Globe Life Field, which opened with turf in 2020 specifically to solve Texas summer heat.
The Tropicana Field Situation
Tropicana Field's roof was torn off by Hurricane Milton in October 2024, and the Tampa Bay Rays played their entire 2025 season at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, a grass-surface spring training park, while repairs continued. Whether the Rays are back on Tropicana Field's artificial turf for the 2026 season or still playing elsewhere depends on how repairs are progressing — check MLB's official schedule for the confirmed 2026 home venue before you plan a visit.
Why Some Ballparks Use Turf Instead of Grass
Four factors explain almost every turf decision in MLB:
- Domed or retractable roofs limit sunlight. Grass needs direct sun to grow; a mostly-enclosed stadium can't reliably grow a healthy natural field.
- Climate control for extreme heat. Globe Life Field and Chase Field sit in Arlington and Phoenix, where summer game-time temperatures regularly exceed 100°F — turf plus a closed roof keeps conditions playable.
- Multi-use stadium design. Rogers Centre and Tropicana Field were both built with football and concert configurations in mind, and turf tolerates that kind of surface switching better than grass.
- Storm and drainage risk. Miami's loanDepot Park deals with heavy tropical rainfall; a retractable roof over turf avoids constant rain delays.
- Lower maintenance cost in enclosed spaces. Growing and mowing grass indoors requires artificial lighting rigs that add ongoing cost — turf skips that entirely.
A 30-park MLB ballpark checklist tracker is a straightforward way to log which surface, roof type, and division you've checked off as you work through them.
Track every MLB stadium you visit
Log the surface, roof type, and division for all 30 parks in one printable checklist.
Which MLB Stadiums Have Grass Fields?
25 of the 30 MLB stadiums have natural grass fields in 2026, including every open-air park with no roof at all. That list runs from Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago to Dodger Stadium, Oracle Park, and Yankee Stadium — the majority of the league still plays on natural turf, and grass remains the default surface for any stadium without a fully enclosed roof.
How Many MLB Stadiums Have a Retractable Roof?
Eight MLB stadiums have a retractable or partially retractable roof as of 2026, and four of those eight — Rogers Centre, Chase Field, Globe Life Field, and loanDepot Park — pair that roof with artificial turf. The remaining retractable-roof parks (including Minute Maid Park, T-Mobile Park, American Family Field, and Truist Park's canopy) use natural grass, proving the roof and the surface are independent decisions.
Is Turf Harder on Players Than Grass?
Players and team medical staff have raised long-running concerns that artificial turf produces higher rates of certain lower-body injuries compared to grass, a debate that predates the current five turf parks and continues to shape stadium renovation decisions across MLB. It's a factor teams weigh when deciding whether to convert a field during a rebuild, alongside cost and climate.
Which MLB Stadium Was First to Use Artificial Turf?
The Astrodome in Houston was the first MLB stadium to use artificial turf, installing AstroTurf in 1966 after the enclosed dome made it impossible to keep natural grass alive. That installation gave the surface its generic name and started a wave of turf conversions across MLB and the NFL through the 1970s and 1980s, most of which have since been reversed back to natural grass.
Wondering what it actually costs to see all 30 in one season? The full cost breakdown for visiting every MLB stadium covers tickets, travel, and lodging across a full circuit.
FAQ
How many MLB stadiums have artificial turf in 2026?
5 of the 30 MLB stadiums use artificial turf in 2026: Rogers Centre, Chase Field, Globe Life Field, loanDepot Park, and Tropicana Field. The remaining 25 stadiums play on natural grass.
Which MLB stadiums have grass fields?
25 MLB stadiums have natural grass fields in 2026, including every open-air park with no roof, from Fenway Park to Dodger Stadium to Yankee Stadium.
Does Tropicana Field still have artificial turf?
Tropicana Field's artificial turf surface is under repair after Hurricane Milton damaged the roof in October 2024, and the Tampa Bay Rays played their 2025 season on grass at Steinbrenner Field instead. Confirm the Rays' 2026 home venue on MLB's official schedule.
Why do some MLB teams play on turf instead of grass?
Teams choose turf mainly to solve problems grass can't handle indoors: limited sunlight under a roof, extreme heat, heavy rainfall, or multi-use stadium designs shared with football and concerts.
How many MLB stadiums have a retractable roof?
8 MLB stadiums have a retractable or partially retractable roof in 2026, and 4 of those 8 also use artificial turf: Rogers Centre, Chase Field, Globe Life Field, and loanDepot Park.
Is turf harder on players than grass?
Players and medical staff have long raised concerns that artificial turf carries higher risk for certain lower-body injuries compared to grass, a factor that shapes stadium renovation decisions across MLB.
Which MLB stadium was the first to use artificial turf?
The Houston Astrodome was the first MLB stadium to install artificial turf, in 1966, after its enclosed dome made growing natural grass impossible.
How many MLB stadiums are there total in 2026?
MLB has 30 stadiums total in 2026, one for each of the 30 major league teams across the American and National Leagues.
One Last Thing
The turf count in MLB has actually shrunk over the decades, not grown — parks like Minute Maid Park, Chase Field's predecessor era, and several 1970s multi-purpose stadiums converted back to grass once retractable roof engineering improved enough to let sunlight in on demand. Five turf parks in a 30-team league is close to the modern floor, not a passing trend — expect that number to stay flat unless a hurricane or a new ballpark forces a change.
