Blue Jays to install dirt infield this season

Rogers Centre will have a different look this season when the Toronto Blue Jays open their American League East division title defense April 8 against the Boston Red Sox.

The team announced Wednesday that it'll begin work next week to install a regulation dirt infield in time for the start of the regular season.

"We are very excited to proceed with this project," senior vice president Stephen Brooks said in a release. "This will both improve the surface for the players and also enhance the atmosphere of the stadium for our fans."

A dirt infield is part of a number of renovations planned in the coming years for the 26-year-old facility, one of only two remaining artificial turf stadiums in the majors.

Installing the dirt infield will require the cement floor in the complex to be excavated and then layered with gravel, sand, and clay. Luckily for Toronto, the process was made easier when the Canadian Football League's Argonauts decided to move to BMO Field this season.