Tampa Bay Rays All-Star shortstop Wander Franco is being investigated by authorities in the Dominican Republic and Major League Baseball for an alleged relationship with a minor, according to multiple reports.
The Rays placed Franco on the restricted list on Monday, a move that will sideline him for at least six games while the investigations are ongoing. The team and Franco “mutually agreed” on the decision, the Rays said in a statement.
The allegations against Franco surfaced over the weekend, when social media posts allegedly showed him in an inappropriate relationship with a minor. A source familiar with the situation told MLB insider Héctor Gómez that it will be “very unlikely” that Franco will play in MLB again, “judging by the results of the investigations that are currently being carried out, which directly commit him to the accusations against him.”
ESPN reported Wednesday that a prosecutor in the Dominican Republic said Franco is the subject of an investigation conducted by the National Agency for Boys, Girls, Adolescents and Family and Gender Violence Unit, which is a division specializing in minors and gender violence in the province of Peravia.
“This is a very delicate topic because there is a minor involved. We are working together [with Judge Olga Diná Llaverías],” prosecutor Ángel Darío Tejeda Fabal told the Associated Press. Llaverías is a specialist in child abuse cases. Fabal added that the investigation is in the early stages and they are still in the process of gathering evidence.
Diario Libre reported Tuesday that Franco is facing a second allegation of an inappropriate relationship with a minor, filed by a 17-year-old girl in July.
Franco, 22, signed an 11-year, $182 million contract with the Rays in November 2021. He is hitting .281 with 17 home runs and 58 RBI this season.
