Disturbing allegations made against Tampa Bay Rays’ Wander Franco on social media. What do we know?
Though details remain unclear at this time, what is clear is that MLB is investigating allegations made against the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop on social media.
The optics of the situation remain questionable, but the Rays have now released a statement about their player who could be in some trouble if the allegations against him prove to be true. What happens from here is anyone’s guess but a league investigation is sure to give us some answers soon enough.
Tampa Bay Rays give a statement on Wander Franco
In the wake of allegations that were leveled against Tampa Bay Rays shortstop, Wander Franco, the team has now released a statement regarding the situation that surrounds the 22-year-old. In their statement, the Rays said that they were aware and would be waiting on MLB to conduct its investigation into the matter. “During today’s game, we were made aware of the social media posts that are circulating regarding Wander Franco,” the Rays said in their statement. “We take the situation seriously and are in close contact with Major League Baseball as it conducts its due diligence.”
In addition to the team’s statement, Rays manager Kevin Cash also addressed the situation in light of the fact that Franco was not in the lineup on Sunday, when the team lost 9-2 to the Cleveland Guardians. Indeed, Cash insisted that Franco’s absence was not related to the ongoing scenario. “I’m aware of the speculation,” Cash said. “I’m not going to comment any further on that. The day off was because of a [scheduled] day off.” It was infielder Osleivis Basabe who took Franco’s place in the loss.
What is Wander Franco accused of doing?
In posts that have since been deleted on X (formerly known as Twitter), it was alleged that Franco was involved in an inappropriate relationship with a minor as per a report from the Tampa Bay Times. There have been no other specifics offered by the franchise or Cash since. As for Franco himself, the Rays shortstop was the No. 1 overall prospect in 2021 before signing an 11-year contract worth $182 million in November of that year, a deal with a team option for 2033 that could be worth as much as $223 million. Franco was selected to his first All-Star game this season on the back of .281/.344/.475 across 112 games. Regarding how he’s done so far this season, the Dominican native has been averaging .281 at the plate with 17 home runs and 58 RBI.