Tampa Bay Rays' Wander Franco Placed on Administrative Leave
As was mentioned as a possibility on Monday, Tampa Bay Rays star Wander Franco has been placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball.
The following update comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:
Franco has been placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball under the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
He had been on the restricted list in a mutual agreement between the Rays and the player but has now been shifted to administrative leave as the league and authorities in the Dominican Republic continue their investigations into Franco's alleged inappropriate relationships with minors. There is no set length for a player's stint on administrative leave, as MLB typically can extend it on a week-by-week basis until the investigation has been completed. Franco will continue to be paid and accrue service time while on leave.
There's clearly something much bigger than baseball going on here, but from a baseball perspective, this absolutely could end the season of one of the best young players in baseball.
We also saw a report recently suggest that Franco may never play in the majors again at all.
Franco is hitting .281 this year with 17 homers, 58 RBI and 30 stolen bases. He made his first All-Star Game this season and is a major reason why the Rays have been one of the best teams in baseball this year.
The Rays have already lost three top starting pitchers this season to injury, and without Franco, they've now lost their offensive catalyst as well.
Tampa Bay enters play on Tuesday at 75-51. They are in the first wild card spot in the American League and trail the American League East-leading Baltimore Orioles by 3.0 games.
