Background The decision to build a new stadium for the team, then known as the 51s, came on the back of many issues both the 51s and
Minor League Baseball had with the team's previous stadium,
Cashman Field. Considered state-of-the-art when it opened in 1983, it had fallen far behind the times. Players and staff criticized the facility noting poor conditions in the playing surface, bullpens, and clubhouse. The weight room was smaller when compared to other Triple-A stadiums, with infielder
Ty Kelly calling it "basically just a room... not an actual weight room". The batting cage was also a point of concern for the players; it was a single lane and only accessible by walking out of the clubhouse to the parking lot.
Johnny Monell described the cage as making him feel like he was "back in high school again," not one level below the major leagues. During a 51s game on August 22, 2015, the stadium sewage system backed up, causing raw sewage to flow into the dugouts. The smell was so strong that players were forced to watch the rest of the game from chairs on the field. For much of the time since the
San Diego Padres ended their 18-year affiliation with what was then known as the Las Vegas Stars in 2000, Las Vegas had been considered an affiliate of last resort for most MLB teams, something Las Vegas Ballpark sought to fix.
Potential MLB Use Although built for
Triple-A baseball, the stadium was designed in such a manner as to be usable on a temporary basis for
Major League Baseball. In 2023, the Oakland Athletics' relocation to Las Vegas was unanimously approved by MLB owners. The Athletics could have played at Las Vegas Ballpark until the
new 33,000-seat ballpark on the
Las Vegas Strip is completed, however they ultimately chose to play at
Sutter Health Park in
West Sacramento, California instead. The summer heat in an open air stadium, losing television rights to the
San Francisco Bay Area, and wanting to make a bigger introduction into the Southern Nevada market were mentioned by Athletics president
Dave Kaval as reasons to not select Las Vegas Ballpark as a temporary home. There may be some regular season Athletics games which are played in Las Vegas, depending on scheduling and weather. On August 26, 2025, MLB announced that the Athletics will play regular-season games at Las Vegas Ballpark in 2026 against the
Milwaukee Brewers on June 8–10 and the
Colorado Rockies on June 12–14 (The Athletics previously played in Las Vegas during the
1996 season when the Oakland Coliseum was being renovated at the time, albeit at Cashman Field).
Approval and groundbreaking In April 2013, the team was purchased by Summerlin Las Vegas Baseball Club LLC, a joint venture of
Howard Hughes Corp. and Play Ball Owners Group, including investors
Steve Mack, Bart Wear and Chris Kaempfer, with intentions of moving it to a new stadium in Summerlin. In October 2017, the
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority approved a 20-year, $80 million naming rights agreement to help pay for the 10,000-seat ballpark. The official groundbreaking was held on February 13, 2018. By April 2018, excavation was 85 percent complete with nearby grading for parking lots about 90 percent complete. By June 2018, it was on schedule to be completed before the 2019 season.
Opening Reservations for tickets began in July 2018. The schedule was announced in August 2018, with the home opener on April 9, 2019. On April 6, the stadium had a soft opening hosting a
NIAA Sunset 4A Region high school baseball game between
Palo Verde High School and
Centennial. The Aviators formally opened the ballpark with a 10–2 win against the
Sacramento River Cats on April 9 before a sellout crowd of 11,036. Las Vegas secured the win with a five-run second inning in which
Skye Bolt scored the eventual winning run when he came home on a
fielding error. ==Amenities and layout==