The Tampa Bay Rays are eliminating all seating in the upper deck for 2019 in an effort to create a more "intimate" experience for fans at Tropicana Field.

The Rays ranked next to last in Major League attendance last season.

They will add a premium seating section in the lower level but will no longer seat fans in the upper deck, which reduces capacity at the stadium by more than 5,000 seats to approximately 25,000 to 26,000.

That would be about 10,000 seats smaller than capacity at any other stadium in baseball.

"These renovations mark our continued commitment to providing a first-rate fan experience at Tropicana Field," Matt Silverman said in a statement. "Together, in concert with the reduction in seating capacity, these investments will help create a more intimate, entertaining and appealing experience for our fans."