Wander Franco might be seeing jail time.
The Tampa Bay Rays shortstop is under investigation by the office of the attorney general in the Dominican Republic for an alleged relationship with a 17-year-old, according to Diario Libre.
The 17-year-old reportedly submitted the complaint in July, but it finally comes to light one day after a 14-year-old shared several posts on X (Twitter) claiming she had a relationship with him. Diario Libre confirmed that the official complaint comes from a different minor, not the 14-year-old from social media.
Major League Baseball as well as the Rays are currently investigating the social media posts from the 14-year-old, according to Associated Press. The league has yet to officially make a statement regarding the new accusation.
“The Tampa Bay Rays and Wander Franco have mutually agreed that he will go on the Restricted List and take leave from the club for the duration of the current road trip,” the team said in a one-sentence statement.
“We support any steps taken by the league to better understand the situation,” the Rays said later Monday of the investigation. “Out of respect for all parties involved, we have no further comments at this time.”
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The All-Star shortstop did appear to address the accusations in a pregame Instagram Live on Sunday, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
“They say that I’m in public with a little girl, that I’m running around with a minor,” Franco said in the social media video in Spanish. “People don’t know what to do with their time. They don’t know what they’re talking about.
“That’s why I prefer to be on my side and not get involved with anybody … because people gossip and talk smack.”
The 22-year-old did not play against the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday and did not travel with the team to California for the series against the San Francisco Giants.
Franco had been hitting .281 while recording 17 home runs and 58 RBIs so far during this 2023 season. His situation has likely thrown a monkey wrench in the dream season of the Rays.
