Title: Tampa Bay Rays’ Wander Franco Placed on Restricted List Amidst Investigation into Social Media Posts
Date: [Current Date]
Tampa Bay, FL – The Tampa Bay Rays and their star shortstop, Wander Franco, have reached a mutual agreement for him to be placed on the restricted list and not accompany the team during their ongoing road trip. This decision follows the team’s announcement on Monday, in which they revealed that Major League Baseball (MLB) has initiated an official investigation into the matter.
The Rays had previously disclosed on Sunday night that MLB was in the process of scrutinizing social media posts related to Franco. The team affirmed its cooperation with the league, describing their involvement as a fundamental part of conducting thorough due diligence. However, specifics regarding the nature of the social media content were not provided by the Rays in their statement.
Meanwhile, online posts went viral on Sunday, alleging that the 22-year-old Franco was involved in an inappropriate relationship with a minor. The Rays promptly addressed the situation by issuing a statement expressing their serious concerns and ongoing communication with MLB.
In response, Franco denied the allegations during an Instagram Live segment after news of the investigation broke. However, the said post is no longer accessible on Instagram, and its publication date remains unknown.
During Sunday’s game, Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash confirmed Franco’s absence from the Rays’ 9-2 loss against the Guardians, attributing it simply to a scheduled day off. When asked about the speculation surrounding Franco, Cash refrained from elaborating further, simply stating, “The day off was because (it’s) a day off.”
Franco, an integral part of the Rays for the past three seasons, recently received his first All-Star nod. He had started in each of Tampa Bay’s previous 20 games prior to being placed on the restricted list. The Rays are scheduled to face the Giants on Monday in San Francisco.
The current situation casts a shadow of uncertainty over Franco’s future with the team, as the investigation remains ongoing. The Tampa Bay Rays and MLB are determined to handle the matter with utmost diligence, ensuring a fair and thorough examination of the allegations made in the circulating social media posts.
(Photo: Thomas Skrlj / MLB Photos via Getty Images)