On Aug.13 several allegations against 22-year-old Dominican-born shortstop Wander Franco came out saying he was in a relationship with a 14-year-old girl.
The young shortstop is only in his third season of his young baseball career and just attended his first All-Star Game this season.
The allegations first surfaced on social media in the Dominican Republic and Major League Baseball has now decided to do an investigation surrounding the allegations.
Additionally, the judge overlooking the Franco allegations specializes in child abuse cases.
Franco played on Aug. 12 but did not play the following day due to the allegations going mainstream.
Franco went on Instagram live before the start of the game on Aug. 13 and said he was not in relations with the minor.
Rays manager Kevin Cash says the reason for Franco not playing on Aug. 13 was that it was his routine day off.
The Rays were finishing up their series against the Cleveland Guardians at home and were getting ready to fly out to San Fransisco for a three-game series against the Giants.
Franco was not on the plane with the rest of the team to San Francisco and the Rays declined all comments when asked why.
On Aug. 14, Franco was then placed on the restricted list during the San Francisco road trip after a mutual decision was reached between Franco and the Rays.
What this means for Franco is that he is off the roster and in most cases would not get paid while on the restricted list but, the Rays have opted to continue to pay Franco.
It is still pretty early in the investigation to know what could happen but there are a few ways this could go.
Under the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy, Franco could be placed on administrative leave for up to seven days which could be extended up to fourteen days by the commissioner of the MLB, Rob Manfred.
Manfred could put Franco on administrative leave indefinitely or until the investigation is concluded.
Being placed on administrative leave is not considered a disciplinary act but one could come later in the investigation process, such as a suspension.
Franco and the Rays have already discussed that if he were to go on administrative leave, he would receive both pay and service time.
The best outcome for Franco is that he is proven innocent and gets to go back out on the field sometime this season, but an MLB insider said it is “very unlikely” Franco ever plays in the MLB again.
Considering Franco has an eleven-year contract with the Rays until 2033, these allegations could cost him the rest of his career.
Lilliana Sandi • Aug 22, 2023 at 7:04 pm
Good job Emily Maciel .