Wander Franco is technically still a star shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays, but it is highly unlikely he will ever take the field for them or any other MLB team again.
Amidst controversy surrounding accusations of improper conduct with a 14-year-old girl in his native Dominican Republic and paying the mother of the child thousands of dollars for her consent, Franco has resurfaced, sharing a video of himself playing baseball for the first time since the allegations arose.
Despite ongoing legal issues and just eight days away from the start of the season, Franco, the 23-year-old shortstop contracted with the Tampa Bay Rays, uploaded the video on Instagram Wednesday.
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It’s unclear where exactly Franco is, but a selfie posted on his Instagram Story, taken on a dirt road in a tropical jungle, suggests he remains in the Dominican Republic.
Franco has reportedly been cautioned by his legal advisors against returning to the US for the start of the 2024-25 MLB season due to ongoing legal proceedings in his homeland, which could lead to potential detention by authorities.
Consistent with this advice, the 2023 All-Star was absent for the first day of the Rays’ spring training last month. Notably, Tampa Bay played two preseason games against the Boston Red Sox in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, earlier this month, with Franco notably absent from the lineup.
Franco is presently on administrative leave, mandated to appear in court for one day at the end of each month while the investigation into allegations of a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl progresses in the Dominican Republic.
The Tampa Bay Rays could potentially argue that Franco’s absence renders him in violation of his contract, as he is not available for team duties.
Consequently, they may opt to place him on the restricted list without pay, as suggested by The Tampa Bay Times.
Franco signed an 11-year, $182 million contract with the Rays in 2021.
