Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco has reportedly been charged with sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of a minor.
Franco was placed on administrative leave on Aug. 22 while Major League Baseball investigated his alleged relationships with underage girls.
The allegations became public earlier that month following social media posts, but the first complaint was filed in July.
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Wander Franco, #5 of the Tampa Bay Rays, looks on during the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field on August 12, 2023 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
The Rays began removing images of Franco everywhere. Tropicana Field Amid the allegations, there has also been no sign of Franco merchandise being sold at the Rays' team store inside their ballpark.
Franco last played a major league game on Aug. 12, and with the charges, it is now increasingly likely he will never play again.
Franco was named an All-Star for the first time last season. Last season, he hit .281/.344/.475 with 17 homers and 58 RBIs in 112 games.
He signed an 11-year, $182 million contract extension in November 2021, but a team option in 2033 could make the deal worth $233 million when it ends. Of course, the Rays could get out of this if Franco goes to jail, citing a “good citizenship” clause in the uniform player contract.
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, center, who faces an allegation of sexually abusing a minor, arrives at court under heavy escort in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, January 5, 2024. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)
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After Dominican police raided two homes associated with Franco just before New Year's, he was eventually arrested. He was later released on the condition that he meet with local authorities once a month.
According to ESPNDominican prosecutors say Franco called the minor “my girl” in a WhatsApp message, admitting the relationship was a “risk” but that he “loved it.”
“My girl,” Franco allegedly wrote in Spanish. “If my team finds out about this, it could cause me problems. It's a rule for all teams that we can't talk to minors, and yet I took the risk and loved it.”
Prosecutors say Franco's relationship with the girl, now 15, lasted four months and that he paid her not to talk about it. The girl's mother also faces money laundering charges based on gifts Franco sent her. Franco and the girl met on Dec. 9, 2022, after he “took her out of his house,” had sex twice in a two-day span and began their relationship.
Wander Franco, #5 of the Tampa Bay Rays, reacts against the New York Yankees before the first inning at Yankee Stadium on August 1, 2023 in New York City. (Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
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Franco gave the girl the equivalent of $46,000 in July and August, the documents say, and paid the mother about $1,700 a month, along with a new car.
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