Another Update in the Story of What's Going on with Tampa Bay Rays' Star Wander Franco
Tampa Bay Rays' star Wander Franco was arrested on Monday for failing to appear when he was summoned in the Dominican Republic.
On Wednesday, he had his arraignment in his home country pushed back to Friday.
Late on Wednesday night, the Associated Press posted more on the allegations against him. The AP story appeared on ESPN.com:
Dominican prosecutors on Wednesday accused Wander Franco of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering following allegations that the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop had a relationship with a minor whose mother also faces the same charges.
Prosecutors requested that a judge hold Franco on an $86,000 bond, bar him from leaving the Dominican Republic and place him under house arrest. They noted that the money laundering charges stem from allegations that Franco made payments to the minor's mother.
Prosecutors also asked that the judge prohibit the minor's mother from leaving the country and place her under house arrest.
This is obviously a very serious story with not a lot of details fully known, but we should start to learn more at the arraignment on Friday.
Franco was put on MLB's restricted list August while the league begun an investigation into claims that he had inappropriate relationships with minors. Franco missed the Rays' playoff run, which saw them get eliminated in the wild card round by the Texas Rangers.
These developments are the continuation of a stunning fall for Franco, who has gone from one of the best young players in baseball to a guy who may possibly never play again.
Tampa Bay invested the biggest contract in franchise history in Franco, giving him an 11-year deal in 2021. If he's unable to play for all or part of the 2024 season, the team's chances of competing in the loaded American League East certainly goes down.
The 22-year-old made his debut in 2021 and owns a lifetime .282 average over three seasons. He made the All-Star team in 2023 and hit .281 for the Rays, who won 99 games. He also had 17 homers, 58 RBI and 30 stolen bases.
His contract was for $182 million.
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