Tampa Bay Rays All-Star shortstop, Wander Franco, is under investigation by the attorney general of the Dominican Republic for his alleged relationship with a minor. The attorney general’s office confirmed the ongoing investigation but did not provide any additional details, according to CNN. Franco’s representative has been contacted for comment on the matter.
In an Instagram live video on Sunday, Franco seemed to deflect the accusations and stated that he was focused on improving himself. Following the social media posts involving Franco, the 22-year-old Dominican player decided to step away from the Rays’ current west coast road trip. The Rays announced that Franco would be placed on the Restricted List, which allows him to be on administrative leave without counting against the team’s 26-man roster.
Major League Baseball (MLB) is also investigating the social media posts, although neither MLB nor the Rays have disclosed any specifics about the content of the posts. It remains unclear whether the posts being examined by MLB are related to the probe conducted in the Dominican Republic.
The Tampa Bay Rays expressed their support for the league’s efforts to better understand the situation and announced that they will refrain from commenting further out of respect for all parties involved.
As the investigation unfolds, fans and followers of Wander Franco will eagerly await developments in this ongoing case.