Photo: Mike Ehrmann / Staff Photographer / Getty Images
By: Manuel Acevedo Published 21 Sep 2023, 17:11 pm EDT
There is a lot of uncertainty in the Major Leagues due to cases that have involved several important players for actions they have committed off the field of play. It has already been a month since the player Wander Franco was placed on administrative leave and little has been known about that case since then.
On Saturday, August 12, a 14-year-old teenager posted on the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, in which she accused the Dominican player of having a relationship with her. It had several photos of the teenager in which she was with the Rays player and in another of her it showed a photo of her with a chain of the same.
On Sunday, August 13, Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash made the decision to leave the player out of that game so he could take a day off and clear his mind of all the comments there were. The next day, the organization that lives in the city of Saint Petersburg announced that he had reached an agreement with Franco so that he would take a week off, while his team faced two tours outside its stadium.
Journalist Héctor Gómez revealed days later that after several inquiries by the Major Leagues regarding that case, they had obtained several pieces of evidence and another accusation in the Dominican Republic about another alleged relationship that the player who wears Tampa’s number five number had had with another minor age.
In the morning hours of August 21, information was leaked that the Baní native had hired the renowned lawyer Jay Reisinger who had already represented players such as Alex Rodríguez, Sammy Sossa, Aroldis Chapman, among others.
A person very close to the investigations into the case of Wander Franco: “It will be very unlikely that Wander 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… https://t.co/Yn5CGckJgE
— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) August 17, 2023
On Tuesday, August 22, it was reported that Wander Franco had been placed on Administrative Leave indefinitely, while investigations by the MLB and the authorities of the Dominican Republic continued. Since then the player has stayed away from the playing fields of the Major Leagues and it is only known that he continues training with the team but in a different way.
We will have to wait if the investigation committee imposed by the MLB makes a statement regarding this case or if we will have to wait a little longer.
Wander Franco has a 12-year, $182 million contract with the Stingrays. This made it known to the world of the Major Leagues that he was the franchise player of the organization for the future, but everything can change if the evidence they obtain is conclusive.
The Dominican Republic player can be prosecuted by a United States prosecutor’s office if found guilty by the MLB and face several years in prison.
Keep reading:
–MLB: Tampa Bay Rays removed all Wander Franco advertisements
–Wander Franco was placed on indefinite administrative leave
–Wander Franco could stop playing in the Major Leagues