Wander Franco is not having a good week, and it has nothing to do with baseball.
A 24-year-old-man allegedly stole $650,000 in jewelry from the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop. Franco was on a rehab assignment in June when the theft went down.
According to ESPN, Kahlil Eugene Mathis used a wrench to break into Franco’s Rolls-Royce in the parking lot of a hotel in Jacksonville, Florida and proceeded to grab a safe that contained seven pieces of jewelry that belonged to Franco.
Here’s what was contained in that safe, per ESPN:
- A $300,000 gold, diamond-encrusted Cuban link chain and circle medallion
- A $200,000 rose gold Cuban link chain with diamonds
- A $70,000 gold pendant with a medallion in green and blue lettering spelling “FRANCO 5”
- A $44,000 Platinum Rolex watch
- A $20,000 American League championship ring
- A $20,000 championship ring from Durham
- A $5,000 gold pendant of Jerry the mouse
Mathis was arrested on July 4th after he sold some of the jewelry to a pawn shop, as police identified him through an Arizona driver’s license and thumbprint he gave at the pawn shop. He is reportedly in jail and is facing charges regarding nine different incidents, including multiple burglaries.
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Franco’s safe was recovered and the two championship rings were found, but the two chains and the Rolex are still missing.
In 58 games this season, the Dominican Republic native is hitting .260 with five home runs, 23 RBI, 34 runs and five stolen bases.
